Dietmar Hamann Exclusive: Osimhen is probably a better all round player than Haaland

After the Champions League fixtures this week, BestGamblingSites.com spoke with Dieter Hamann in an exclusive interview. We touched upon why Victor Osimhen may be a better fit for Manchester City than Haaland, what Liverpool need to do to get back to their former success, his winner of the EPL this year alongside how he doesn’t see the German national team as favourites for the 2024 Euros.

Manchester City vs Leipzig reaction

Q: Firstly, what was your reaction to Man City’s 7-0 win against Leipzig? Could you possibly have foreseen that kind of result?

No, not really. I thought Leipzig might even have a fighting chance to get close to them, or even have an outside chance to go through. Leipzig were a major disappointment. I know they had a couple of players out with injuries but it was a non-performance. It was embarrassing at times. But credit to City for exposing them as they did and obviously Haaland was exceptional. It's a fantastic achievement to score five goals in 60 minutes.

Q: Haaland is on 39 goals from 36 games this season, he’s the youngest ever to reach 30 goals in the Champions League. Do you feel he's the best striker in Europe at the moment, or is that too far?

He is probably the best centre forward in Europe at the moment - if you look at his goal scoring record. You would also have to mention Osimhen in this conversation who is a brilliant player.

For Haaland to score five, it's brilliant. But obviously the jury is still out as to whether he makes Manchester City better overall across a season. Having him is great, but that doesn't mean they get a bye for the rest of the Champions League. They still have to play a quarter final and a semifinal. They're five points off Arsenal in the League and it remains to be seen whether he's the player who wins City the Champions League. They've got as good a chance as probably one or two other teams. But whether he's really the missing piece of the jigsaw for European success remains to be seen.

Q: You mentioned Osimhen there - there are actually reports in the English media yesterday about City enquiring into him. Do you think there could be any truth in that? Is he the sort player you could imagine ending up at City?

Well, if they do then it means that Haaland’s going to go because they can't have both at the club. They've got a World Cup winner now in Alvarez being the understudy to Haaland and I don't think that's an ideal situation, even though it's obviously good for the manager. I don't think you can keep another top class player happy if you play 20 minutes every week.

For me, Osimhen is probably a better all round player than Haaland right now and links up play better. Haaland is a very direct player and I was cautious whether he really fits into that City team. He may prove me wrong at the moment, if you look at his goal scoring and stats, but they could still be trophyless at the end of the season. I think he’s a player every top club should go for, because, for me at the moment Osimhen is the best centre forward in the world.

Q: Another player City have been linked with is Gvardiol. Is that an area of the pitch City may strengthen in the summer and look at a player like him?

They look very solid in the back at the moment, Laporte can't even get in the team and they've got left footed Centre backs already. He's a very talented player, but if they have too many players, they’ve got to keep them happy. Obviously I don't think Gvardiol did himself justice on Tuesday, but he's a very talented player and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up playing in England next season.

Q: There’s been some suggestion Kevin De Bruyne hasn't been at his very best this season. What have you made of his contribution to this City team? Is he still as integral?

Well probably not as integral, but I think he's done okay this season. He probably hasn’t reached the heights he did in recent years, but maybe that's down to the fact that everybody is playing understudy to Haaland and you have to bear that in mind. If you have a player who scores half the goals, then it’s possible it takes away some of the confidence of the other players. Players like De Bruyne and Alvarez have been in the shadow of Haaland and maybe that was one other reason why De Bruyne hasn’t been on fire. But now when it comes to the business end of the season, I expect him to fire on all cylinders and be the same player he was the last few years.

Q: On Saturday City play Burnley in the FA Cup. What do you expect from the game? How serious do you think City’s FA Cup ambitions are?

I think they will take it seriously because there's no guarantee they are going to win the League this season. There’s certainly no guarantee that they will win the Champions League and the club is in a situation where you expect them to win a trophy every season. I think they will take a very serious approach to the Cup game and they've got a wealth of talent - even on the bench. So even if you rest a few players I think they still field a very strong team. You've got the international break afterwards, so it'll be just a great game because Burnley are going well, Kompany is coming back to the stadium, so I think it'll be a great game.

Liverpool vs Madrid reaction

Q: In terms of Liverpool and their game last night - what did you make of their exit to Madrid?

It was pretty lacklustre. They just haven't got it in them to turn a game around. It was a big, big ask at any given time to turn around a three goals deficit at Madrid. But at the moment they just haven't got it in them. It was a cruise for Real Madrid. They could have had more goals if they wanted to. I think it showed how far behind Liverpool has fallen. Last season they played out their skin, but some players have now come to the end of their Liverpool careers. I think some of the players who carried their team, like Van Dijk and Fabinho, are out of form and it doesn't look good at the moment.

Q: What do you think is the strategy that Liverpool should be going for this summer to try and get back to the level they were?

I think it's very tough. Liverpool have missed the window in the last two, three years to keep at this level. Liverpool got to a stage where players wanted to come to them above all other clubs which has not been the case for much of the last 20 years. There was a reality that if a player wanted to win trophies and play in England, they would likely go somewhere else be that United, City or Chelsea. So I feel Liverpool had a window when they were very successful, when they were peaking two, three years ago, where players actually wanted to join Liverpool over any other club because they would feel something is building here and they’d come and win trophies. Players like Camavinga and Tchouaméni are the types of players that could have come to Liverpool if they had spent the money.

Now they've got an ageing team with players partly out of form. Whether they will come back to their top level, I do not know. It reminds me of the team when Klopp first came to the club when he said, we've got to turn from doubters to believers. It's a huge job either for this manager or for somebody else because I think you've got to change pretty much the whole team and that's something which takes a couple of years at least. I don't think there's a quick fix now this summer, I wouldn't know where to start.

Q: Given Liverpool were confirmed out of Europe last night, their one ambition left is the top four. How do you rate their chances of securing that spot?

I’ll give them a chance and it looked a lot worse about 8 to 10 weeks ago. But I think it'll be very tough because they've got to make up points. You probably have to try to win three or four in a row. And I'm not sure whether they've got it in them at the moment. Being out of the Champions League may help them.

I'm not a big fan of people saying they've got less games now and that’ll help them because obviously that spurs you on. You want to be in these competitions, you want to play the quarter final, or the semi-final of the Champions League. But in this case it may actually help Liverpool because they just looked tired and flat and they've got an international break now.

Q: Is this a good time for the international break to come, do you think?

It is a good time because they do look flat, but at the same time you probably have 12 or 14 players going to the national teams.

However I think it's probably a good time because everybody can have a breather. There's no game on Saturday as well so they should get a few days off before heading away with their national teams for those that are. I think the break comes at a good time.

Q: On BT sport last night, Rio Ferdinand was saying he would give some grace to Van Dijk. He said sometimes you're only as good as a team around you. You need the team to perform, to be able to perform at your best. He hasn't had a team around him performing in a way that would suit his style of play at the moment. Is that fair? How do you reflect on Van Dijk’s current form?

Maybe you have to take this into account in that the team isn't playing so well, but take the full backs for example, I don't think they are playing any differently than they used to.

It felt when they did go forward and lost the ball in the past, Van Dijk was just there to hoover it up and it felt he wouldn't lose a single challenge.

If you look at him for the goal at Bournemouth, I don’t know what he tried to do, he just never ran back. He just didn’t look right.

I appreciate what Rio says, but at the same time you've got to say he is nowhere near the player he was two or three years ago. Whether that's got something to do with his injury I do not know. But he was the best, if not the best centre back I've seen in a long, long time. At the moment he's not at that level.

Q: It seems already a long time ago, Liverpool beat Man United 7-0. Did that give fans false hope in this race for the top four?

Yeah, it probably did. I think the encouragement that team needed was for their return game against Madrid because you felt if they could have followed up their win against United with a comfortable win at Bournemouth, then they could go to Madrid and say ‘why not have a real go at this’.

However, the wind was taken out of them by the game at Bournemouth. I don't think anybody gave them too much hope yesterday.

You have to put things into perspective and acknowledge that on their day this Klopp side are still capable of doing what they did against United. But obviously United played a part in that as well.

To be successful Liverpool have to be consistent and I don't think they've got it in them at the moment and this is why I think it'll be very tough to get in the top four.

Q: Do you feel that even with Jota and Firmino back, they won’t make the top four?

Going forward it's not the issue. You’ve got Milner playing in midfield yesterday and he's been a tremendous player, but he’s 37 so to play at that level, it’s not easy.

My worry is the defence because Konate is injured a lot and Van Dijk, doesn't fill you with confidence at the moment. So it’s great to have attacking players returning but my worry will be the defence.

I think going forward they will be okay, but obviously that suffers as well if you haven't got defensive stability.

Bellingham to Liverpool?

Q: There's still so much transfer talk around Jude Bellingham. Do you think it's realistic Liverpool can sign him if they do miss out on Champions League as you expect them to?

It won't make it any easier, that's for sure. It will be about what he wants to do. We won't know in the next few weeks who will make the Champions League. It is so tricky to recruit new players at the moment if you’re Liverpool and then you don't really know what's happening in the summer. Where they finish will impact how much money they have to spend. We will have to see if the finance they have to strengthen is enough for the manager to want to stay on because there's no guarantee they're going to qualify next season.

Q: Do you expect Klopp to be there at the start of next season if they end up outside the Champions League places?

I think that will depend on what happens in the summer. I reckon they need five or six players to compete for the Champions League and three or four to give them a good chance to finish in the Top Four next season. And when you bring so many players in, obviously that takes time.

It’s a huge job because the team has been falling apart in the last six months. You need to bring two or three Midfielders in and also hope players like Van Dijk return to reach their previous heights. Fabinho has not been as good this season. So there's players who've been reliable in the past, who led their team, who made other players better, but they're struggling now. As things stand I wouldn't be a hundred percent certain that Klopp’s there next season.

Newcastle United: Defensive stability is the issue

Q: Moving on to Newcastle, it felt like the win they got against Wolves was massive in turning their tide of recent form. I know you said you'd probably back Newcastle to get this fourth spot. Why do you think Newcastle will get over the line?

They had a bit of a flat period and that was a huge win against wolves. You have these difficult periods and it just depends how you come back from them. Overall they've been very stable all season. They've got a glorious chance to get in the Champions League after a long time. I just feel that they've got such a unity within the club. There's such a hype around the club at Newcastle. I think that'll carry them.

Q: There has been a lack of goals compared to earlier in the season. What would you put that down to?

I think you get these spells and obviously if you don't win games, confidence drops. They haven’t looked quite as solid at the back recently and if you haven't got defensive stability then you don't control games as you should and it makes it a lot harder to be creative going forward and score goals. I think that was probably the biggest reason for Newcastle’s lack of goals.

Q: Newcastle go tomorrow night away to Nottingham Forest who won't have Chris Wood playing as he can’t face his parent club. What do you expect from that game?

Didi: Forest are doing well, but I fancy Newcastle to win. Newcastle may have lost at Wembley but I feel they’ve bounced back now and I expect them to take the three points.

Q: Newcastle has been very heavily linked with Tierney who is slightly out of favour and behind Zinchenko at Arsenal. Is that a transfer that you can almost imagine makes sense for both teams?

Tierney is an excellent player. Prior to Zinchenko joining everybody was raving about him and that's just how it goes. Sometimes when a new player comes in, it can obviously be good for one player, but it is then not so good for the other one. And I think that's the case, but I don't think he's done too much wrong and he's certainly a player who I can see at Newcastle because I think he'll improve them.

Q: Do you think Eddie Howe has received enough praise for the job he's done since he first came into the club?

Probably not because the job is a lot harder when you've got money to spend compared to when you have no money to spend.

When players and agents know there's money available, you can attract the wrong players. But I think they've been very good with their recruitment. I think they've been sure to not waste any money. I think they've been very specific in the players they brought in. So I'd probably say that he's not getting enough praise. He’s been tremendous because a lot of people doubted if he could do it.

EPL winner prediction and a spot in the Top Four?

Q: Arsenal are still five points in front and slight favourites with the bookmakers to win the league. Who do you think right now will win the title and why?

Arsenal have had a couple of close shaves, if you look at the Villa game and the Bournemouth game where they never looked like winning those games. But they found a way and that creates a lot of trust and belief in the team because they feel even when two nil down, we can still win games. I don't think Arsenal will be running away with it because I don't think that Manchester City will go away. It’s not far off a toss of a coin in my mind at the moment, but I just feel Arsenal will do it.

Q: It looks like one from Liverpool, Spurs, Newcastle or Brighton are in contention for a spot in the Top Four. Who are you backing to secure it?

I'll go for Newcastle, but I wouldn't rule Chelsea from the race entirely yet if they can find form despite being seven points back as it stands. But I feel Newcastle will have enough.

German clubs: I don't think Leipzig did themselves justice

Q: Leipzig are third in the Bundesliga. Did the score line against Manchester City emphasise that there’s such a gulf between the German clubs apart from Bayern Munich and the rest of Europe's elite? Or is that unfair?

Well, I don't think Leipzig did themselves or the German League justice because they showed in the second half of the first leg at home that they can compete with good teams. I think Dortmund also showed that against Chelsea and they ran them really close. I don't think you need to be a rocket scientist to acknowledge that the Premier League in terms of players and teams is much better. If you look at the record in the Champions League in the last few years, it was mainly down to Bayern Munich to carry the flag for German sides in the Champions League. There’s no question the Premier League is a better league because they've got the most money. They're able to buy the best players, but I don't think the difference is as big as that 7-0 scoreline suggests.

Q: Do you still think Bayern Munich are favourites for the Champions League?

Yes. I'd probably say Munich, Man City & Napoli are the three strongest teams. I don't think Chelsea should be underestimated if they can get going and it may help them to have a few more weeks to prepare for the quarter final and they've got an international break.

Chelsea can really get a bit of confidence back now with a couple of good results in the league.

That said, I think Napoli, City and Munich are probably the three strongest at the moment, and I would think that these three would like to avoid each other.

German national football team: If you look at France, I don't think Germany's anywhere near them.

Q: We are coming up to the international break. Germany are playing Peru and then Belgium. What do you expect to see from this German side as we build up to Euro 2024?

Hansi Flick seems to want to give some young players a chance. I think he should have probably done that earlier, but at least he is doing it now. I want to see a side where you get excited watching young players playing with a smile on their face where you see they enjoy playing for the national team - that hasn't been the case for the last four or five years. It was very pedestrian. It was hard to watch at times. I just want to see a team, a young team where players are given a chance whether they make a mistake or not, it doesn't really matter. It doesn't matter at all. They have to make mistakes.

Q: They are joint favourites for the Euro 2024 tournament with the bookmakers alongside France. Is that where you'd expect them to be?

I don't think so. We didn't have Wirtz at the World Cup due to his cruciate injury, who's one of the most exciting players in Germany. So he will play next week hopefully and it’s fantastic to have him back. But we haven't got a top centre forward. We haven't got any fullbacks or centre backs. I think if you look at Spain, if you look at France, I don't think Germany's anywhere near them.

If it wasn't in Germany, I reckon we would be double the odds we are. It can obviously be an advantage to be at home, but at the same time we had three very disappointing tournaments. So a lot has to be done because there's no foregone conclusion for the Euros. The whole of Germany will be saying, ‘come on, this is our team, we're gonna do this’. They've got a lot of work to do. They only play friendlies now for the next 12 months and they've got to have some good performances to get the public back behind them because at the moment they haven't got them. I don’t see them as favourites.

Q: Bernd Leno recently gave an interview saying, he still has very much got aspirations of getting back in the international squad. He hasn't been in one since November, 2021, but he's been quite highly praised for his form at Fulham. Do you see a potential return to him for the international team squad?

Well, it’ll either Ter Stegen or Trapp now as the number one in Neuer’s absence. Then obviously there's a space for a third keeper. I can see Leno being back. I'm not sure whether Neuer does come back in general to the squad because if he doesn't go as number one, which I don't think at the moment he should be, then he may not want to be there. I wouldn't be surprised if you see Leno again in the national team squad.

Havertz is one of the best in the world

Q: Kai Havertz has been one of the few brighter lights at Chelsea in a disappointing period, especially recently. How crucial could he be in keeping Graham Potter in a job?

I think Havertz has been fantastic. What helps him is Mudryk being at the club now because he takes a bit of pressure and weight off his shoulders because he's got another player who can create something and he's such a smart player.

He has played as a centre forward at times, which is probably not his preferred role, but he can play there. And with him I just feel that he doesn't know how good he is because for me, he's one of the best in the world.

It may sound harsh saying this because he scored a winner in a Champions League Final and he has done well for Chelsea, but I just feel he could do so much more because that's how good he is.

In the last few weeks he's really come to the fore and, you know, maybe he's adapted more to the club. He's a fantastic player.

Q: We are speaking about a week where Liverpool went out of the Champions League. Does a week ever go by in your life without you being asked about that 2005 final? Are you forever happy to talk about it?

It comes up sometimes, especially now during the two games against Madrid with Ancelotti being the manager. It does come up every now and then, but I wouldn't say on a weekly basis - which I'm pretty glad of but it’s a wonderful memory of course!

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