Generous Haaland in hot water, captain Ødegaard in hot form
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants his serial goalscorer Erling Haaland to take every chance to add to his impressive tally of goals this season and not turn down a chance of adding to that count.
At the weekend Haaland handed the ball to teammate Ilkay Gundogan to take a penalty and complete his hat-trick against Leeds. Gundogan missed, which left Guardiola fuming with the man he wanted to take the penalty — Haaland.
This and other talking points from the Premier League weekend are.
Haaland must be more hungry in goal chase: Bizarre as it seems, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants Erling Haaland to stop being so generous as his side chase a treble after the Norwegian striker gave up a penalty to Ilkay Gundogan on Saturday.
With Manchester City awarded a spot kick at 2-0 up and cruising at home to Leeds United thanks to two Gundogan goals, Haaland gave the ball to the midfielder so that the German could try to complete his hat-trick but his effort struck a post and bounced clear.
“It ’ s 2-0, especially in England it never is over and I want the taker who has more routine, who is a specialist, to take it,” Guardiola told reporters, referring to Haaland.
Leeds pulled a goal back to ensure a nervous finish that Haaland, who has 35 goals in 32 league games this season, could have averted had he taken the penalty instead.
Ødegaard leads by example: When the wheels began to fall off Arsenal’s title-chasing wagon it needed the captain to step up and Martin Ødegaard has done that to keep the dream alive.
After their crushing defeat at Manchester City last month it appeared Arsenal’s belief was ebbing away. But Ødegaard struck twice in a classy home win against Chelsea in midweek and again in the cauldron of St James ’ s Park on Sunday as the Gunners won 2-0 to move back within a point of City, albeit having played a game more.
The midfielder has scored 15 league goals this season and is the man that makes his side tick with his quiet but steely leadership, regular goals and assists.
De Gea running out of road after another error: Another costly mistake by Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea, this time at West Ham United, has opened up the race for the last Champions League spot and if his team miss out on the top four it might be his most costly yet. One of the greatest keepers of his generation, the 32-yearold ’ s career has been punctuated by errors, and Sunday’s weak attempt to keep out Saïd Benrahma’s first-half shot is up there with the worst of them.
Luckily for the Spaniard none of the reserves have the stature to threaten him yet, but should Liverpool overtake United and make it into the world’s richest club competition instead of them, he would be judged harshly by the fans.
Muted Núñez a problem for Klopp: Liverpool had the luxury of starting four attacking players in their 1-0 win over Brentford on Saturday, but once again it was Uruguayan striker Darwin Núñez who looked like a square peg in a round hole up front.
Mohamed Salah got the goal and Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota all had their moments, but Núñez struggled again, missing a great chance to make it 2-0 on the half-hour mark.
Núñez has nine goals in 29 league appearances for Liverpool this season but has often looked lost as he tries to fit in. Having paid a reputed € 75m plus add-ons for his services, manager Jürgen Klopp must find a way to get the best out of a talented player who looks short on confidence.
Relief for Spurs in Palace win: Tottenham Hotspur claimed a much-needed victory with a first Premier League clean sheet in 10 games dating back to February as they edged Crystal Palace 1-0 at home on Saturday.
It was a far from vintage performance and they still look devoid of confidence but it is a step in the right direction for a side that had conceded 15 goals in their previous four games and came as sweet relief for caretaker manager Ryan Mason.
Superb play from Harry Kane to start a move he eventually finished with a header was the difference and showcased again just how crucial the England captain is to his club.
Kane would be near irreplaceable should he depart but the longer his career goes on without winning a trophy the more appealing a move away from Spurs may seem for the 29-year-old. /