Heung-Min Son

Having hit the 12-goal mark across all competitions already, Haaland may well have the record books in his sights and, unlike many others, will have a break midway through the season during the World Cup in Qatar.

That is a frightening prospect for any defender and Tottenham are next for the former Borussia Dortmund man in a match that already throws up plenty of talking points.

Last year, City were aggressive in their push to land England captain Harry Kane but were unable to conclude a deal, with Pep Guardiola instead opting to largely play without a recognised centre forward during the title-winning campaign that followed.

Kane, after a slow start, was at his brilliant best yet again for Spurs, firing in 17 goals to help the club pip north London rivals Arsenal to Champions League football – though the talk around the striker continues to be his lack of trophies.

Even Antonio Conte himself has spoken on the matter, saying it's a "real pity" he remains without major honours, and Kane may be forgiven for wondering what might had been if a move to City had played out.

Kane's Premier League experience may well have led to a lightning-quick start to life at City, like Haaland, but the two players are considerably different – Haaland having few touches of the ball other than striking into the back of the net, while Kane is more involved in Spurs' approach play.

Haaland has touched the ball just 132 times in the Premier League this season which, considering his 10 goals, means he averages a goal nearly every 13 times he touches the ball. In reality, he can be much more deadly.

Hitting a hat-trick in the 6-0 demolition of Nottingham Forest last month, Haaland touched the ball just 16 times and had the same number of touches a few days prior against Crystal Palace, where he also scored a hat-trick.

In comparison, Kane has touched the ball 255 times in the Premier League this season, almost double the amount of Haaland, and has scored five goals in six games – a phenomenal return but one that barely stands out given Haaland's form.

Not just a natural scorer, Kane plays a big part in Spurs' build-up play. In the Premier League this term, the England skipper has 115 successful passes, 36 unsuccessful attempts and 76 per cent accuracy.

Haaland, meanwhile, has 62 successful passes, almost half the amount of Kane, with 15 unsuccessful attempts and 81 per cent accuracy.

In the final third, the differences become even more clearer; Haaland with three chances created and a single assist, while Kane has 13 chances created – though he's yet to secure an assist, with those around him underperforming.

Son Heung-Min, in particular, has had a disappointing campaign thus far. The South Korean has a total of 17 attempts in the Premier League this season without finding the back of net – with four more chances going begging in the recent win over Fulham.

Last season, Son had a conversion rate of 26.7 per cent, higher than any other player with more than 20 attempts on goal, and won the Golden Boot with a total of 23 goals – tied with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.

While those stats may seem alarming, it's not quite time to call for change as Son's 17 attempts have an Expected Goals (xG) tally of just 1.7 and a total of 0.1 xG per attempt.

Last season, Son's xG was 15.8 and he outscored that by seven goals, while the xG per attempt stood at a higher value than the current campaign at 0.18.

Fortunately, Son's blip in form has not affected Spurs' return at the start of the Premier League season as Antonio Conte's side stand alongside City as the only two clubs in the division not tasting defeat in the opening six matches.

While Spurs have performed at the level the statistics would expect, scoring 10 goals with an xG of 10.3 and an xG per attempt of 0.11, City, aided by Haaland, have outperformed their expected returns.

Pep Guardiola's side have scored 19 goals from an xG of 13.9 and hold an xG per attempt of 0.14, with their attacking contingent in their prime while Spurs need some of their major players to get going.

Son has endured a poor season with Spurs, scoring just five Premier League goals after sharing the Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah last term, and his troubles have carried onto the international stage.

The forward wore a protective mask at last year's World Cup after suffering a fractured eye socket ahead of the tournament, where he failed to net in four appearances.

Son produced another ineffective performance as Spurs exited the Champions League against Milan on Wednesday, leaving the future of boss Antonio Conte in serious doubt.

His new international coach, however, retains faith in Son's ability to bounce back, saying: "I'm a big fan of Sonny. There's no doubt. He had a very difficult World Cup because he was not 100 per cent healthy.

"Obviously I saw all the games and I felt for him, but I think this is a normal period and every player goes through little up and downs. Also, the situation at Tottenham is sometimes not so easy. 

"I hope that I'm going to see him in two weeks and he comes with a smile and is hungry for the national team."

Klinsmann was named as Paulo Bento's successor last month, with the Portuguese coach stepping down after a 4-1 defeat to Brazil in the last 16 at the World Cup.

Asked how he would approach the role at his unveiling on Thursday, the former Germany international said: "Obviously, my personal background was a striker, so I always love to attack, and that means I’d rather win a game 4-3 than 1-0. 

"But at the end of the day, I think a coach always has to adapt his approach and his philosophy to the people around him, mainly the players. 

"So based on who you have as players and what capabilities your team has, you need to adapt that philosophy to your approach."

South Korea will face South American opposition in their first two outings under Klinsmann, with Colombia and Uruguay their opponents for friendlies later this month.

The Argentine may not be heading for Old Trafford after Manchester United confirmed the appointment of Erik ten Hag last week, but he could still be going out the exit door after a demoralising campaign.

With PSG crashing out of the Champions League in calamitous fashion to Real Madrid in March, reports have suggested Pochettino could be replaced by the boss of his former club Tottenham, Antonio Conte.

With Conte overseeing an improvement in Spurs' fortunes since taking the job and possessing experience of managing big egos at former clubs Juventus, Chelsea, and Inter, could the Italian be the man to get the best out of the star-studded Parisians?

Here, Stats Perform uses Opta-powered data to compare the managerial duo.

Pochettino in Paris: Domestic dominance remains, but so does European fragility 

Many saw the decision to appoint Pochettino as prudent after he made 70 appearances in a two-year playing spell in Paris, before his relationship with compatriot Lionel Messi aided the legendary forward's arrival.

It has not, however, been plain sailing for the former Tottenham boss. PSG beat Monaco to lift the Coupe de France last May but missed out on the league title to surprise package Lille last season.

Lille led PSG by a point when Pochettino arrived and pipped the Parisians to the title by that margin as Pochettino became just the second PSG boss (after Unai Emery) to fail to win the Ligue 1 title since 2012.

While PSG rebounded to win the league in dominant fashion this term, moving level with Saint-Etienne as the most successful club in Ligue 1 history, their 34 matches required to secure the title is the most they have needed since 2014-15, when they wrapped up top spot on matchday 37.

The team's reliance on Kylian Mbappe, who has contributed to 36 of the team's 76 league goals this term (22 goals, 14 assists), could also prove a huge issue next term with the 22-year-old heavily linked with a move to Madrid at the end of his contract in June.

Although the star trio of Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe have recorded 37 goals and 32 assists in the league between them this term, they could not inspire Champions League success.

If Pochettino is to depart, March's humiliating 3-2 aggregate loss to a Karim Benzema-inspired Madrid will be remembered as the decisive moment of his time in Paris.

Having beaten the Spanish giants 1-0 at home, PSG have now been eliminated in four of their nine Champions League knockout ties when winning the first leg.

Fixing their fragility on the big occasions will be their foremost aim ahead of next season, which is why the appointment of a manager with one of Europe's most impressive track records has been speculated.

The case for Conte: Title wins and handling big names

Having won five league titles (four in Serie A, one in the Premier League), Conte is always mentioned when a vacancy at an elite European club comes around.

With current club Tottenham battling to ensure Champions League qualification for next season, however, could Conte be tempted to follow in Pochettino's footsteps if he departs PSG?

Conte has overseen a dramatic improvement since taking the Spurs job; before falling to a 1-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion and drawing 0-0 with Brentford, Spurs had plundered 25 goals in their previous seven league games, having scored just nine in 10 league matches under predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo earlier this season.

Star duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-min have also been rejuvenated by Conte's arrival, breaking Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba's record of 36 direct Premier League goal combinations in February.

Conte's previous role at Italian giants Inter, however, might prove more relevant to what he could expect at PSG: the Italian excelled under huge expectations to deliver their first Scudetto in over a decade last season, ending a nine-year period of Juventus dominance he began by leading the Bianconeri to an unbeaten season in 2011-12.

Like Kane and Son, Romelu Lukaku – who recorded 24 goals and 11 assists in Serie A last season – profited from a direct style that saw Inter net a remarkable 89 league goals in their title-winning campaign, and has struggled to replicate that form since following Conte out of San Siro.

As well as his title wins, Conte's work with Lukaku, Kane, Son, and other big names certainly suggests he could have what it takes to manage the sizeable egos of PSG's attacking stars if he makes the move.

However, with Conte failing to progress beyond the Champions League last-eight in his career, the Italian would need to improve his European record in order to satisfy the ambitions of continental glory.