There’ll be no stopping Phil and Erling
PEP HAILS DUO
PEP GUARDIOLA has warned Premier League rivals that Phil Foden and Erling Haaland are on course to form an unstoppable goalscoring partnership.
The young forwards have not quite been on the same wavelength in their opening games together.
Foden missed opportunities to put goals on a plate for City’s new No.9 against Bournemouth and Newcastle, shooting when a square pass would have produced a certain goal.
But Guardiola, below, says Foden just needs a bit more time to tune into Haaland’s frequency and insisted when he does it will be bad news for the rest of the league.
“The feeling last season, maybe, was that we did not have a proper, proper striker so sometimes the passes can go in other ways,” the manager said.
“Phil is going to score a lot of goals and I want that, but now he will see that in that position, always Erling is there.
“That is Erling’s biggest talent. The guy is there. I have said it many times before – it is a question of time to know each other.”
Guardiola has no doubts that Foden will adapt to having a striker as a focal point. He said: “The biggest players make the right decision depending on where are your mates, where is the opposition.
“It is not like PlayStation where you can guide what to do – they have to decide in the moment and the big players, they decide perfectly on the action. Phil is a key player for us.”
City host Crystal Palace at the Etihad this afternoon and Guardiola will approach the game with caution given the south
Londoners took four points from his team last season, including a shock 2-0 win in Manchester. “They have the quality and talent, that’s why we have to be on it from the first moment,” he said. He maintained that City would not be doing any more business in the transfer window, including the sale of Bernardo Silva. Suggestions
Paris SaintGermain had joined Barcelona in the race for the midfielder, lodging a £59million bid which the club rejected, were rubbished by Guardiola. “We have not had a phone call from any club regarding Bernardo Silva, which is why he will stay,” he said. Academy prospect Luke Mbete, 18, is expected to join Huddersfield on loan.