PEP: ERLING’S DONE IT HAAL
PEP GUARDIOLA insists he is not hitting back at the pundits who have been lining up to take a dig at Erling Haaland.
He says the likes of Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher (inset) – who both claim there are flaws in the Norwegian striker’s all-round game – are entitled to their opinions and he would not criticise them for airing those views.
But even so, his latest defence of this season’s leading Premier League scorer – and Golden Boot winner, Footballer of the Year and PFA Player of the Year in his one full season here – was pointedly emphatic.
And the Manchester
City manager’s response to Carragher’s claim that Haaland’s all-round contribution is not Ballon d’Or standard was particularly withering.
Guardiola said: “The target is not to win the Ballon d’Or. The target is the Premier League, it is the Champions League, it is the FA Cup. And he did it.
“Without him, it would not have been possible. His contribution has been exceptional since the first day he arrived.”
A run of five games with just one goal has brought 23-year-old Haaland’s wider role in City’s team under the microscope, particularly after he had little attacking joy in Madrid on Tuesday night.
But Guardiola sees the bigger picture, saying: “We have scored 11 goals in three games and he helped us score some of them, creating lots of spaces for the other ones to score.
“We scored three goals against Madrid. They had two central defenders close to him and it’s not easy, two against one. It’s the most difficult position on the pitch.”
And while there continue to be rumours that Haaland might not be at the Etihad for the long haul, Guardiola certainly does not see a player unhappy with his lot.
Guardiola went on: “I saw his face and what he said after the (Madrid) game in the locker room. He was extremely happy. It’s more about the team for him.”
One player whose form has clearly not always impressed Guardiola is Jack Grealish.
But the England man has now played three full matches on the spin and looks to be getting back to his best.
“We are really pleased,” said Guardiola.
“We missed him. Now it has to be until the end.”
In a hectic finish to the season, Guardiola knows he will need to manage players’ workloads carefully and might rest a couple for the clash with Luton Town.
But he insists he will not take his eye off the ball.
“We will do what we’ve done in the past,” he said.
“Twenty-one points to play for, one point behind. We know what we have to do.”