Esteve Hopes for Champions League Debut vs Haaland — SkimNews
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- Maxime Esteve has been on the bench for RB Leipzig's opening two Champions League games and is desperate to make his debut against Manchester City; the 24-year-old French centre-back said at Montpellier five years ago that he would have "killed" to be in this situation now
- Manchester City — Esteve scored two own goals at the Etihad last year and, through the first dozen Premier League games of that season, had put the ball in City's net more times than every player except Erling Haaland
- Scott Parker told Esteve at a Monday meeting after that Etihad game that "this is nothing," showing him analysis of the good work he had done to rebuild the defender's confidence
- Erling Haaland — Esteve, who has faced him twice, calls him the best striker in the world despite Harry Kane's fresh Ballon d'Or honour, citing his power, heading and speed
- Burnley tried to stay around Haaland when he combined with Rayan Cherki in the small spaces, while Haaland chipped to the back post to attack crosses with an aggressive big header, in Esteve's account
- Esteve studies opposition strikers beyond their shooting habits, checking whether a forward runs at 36 or 34 km/h to decide how high to hold his defensive line
- Vincent Kompany coached Esteve at Burnley in his first season in England and is now the Bayern Munich coach; Esteve sees the same energy, competitiveness and perfectionist habits in him and RB Leipzig coach Martin Demichelis
Why it matters: Leipzig's stated goal is to qualify for the Champions League every season, and Esteve's route in runs through the forward who scored twice in his own net. Burnley answered Haaland by staying around him in small spaces; Esteve's scouting goes finer, calibrating his line to a 34-36 km/h striker.
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