Pep Guardiola says Erling Haaland will be even better and the prolific Man City striker is the perfect thing to manage | Football news
Pep Guardiola is expecting more from the prolific Erling Haaland.
Haaland has had a fantastic start to his Manchester City career, scoring 13 goals in his first nine appearances for the Premier League champions.
The Norwegian’s belated victory over Borussia Dortmund in midweek prompted Guardiola to compare him to Johan Cryuff and the City manager believes his quality will only improve.
Guardiola said: “He is an outstanding striker, I have said that many times. But at his age, and I think he has ambition, he wants to be better, and I think he is. It’ll be better.”
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola compared Erling Haaland to Johan Cruyff after his stunning goal against Borussia Dortmund.
Haaland scored 86 goals in 89 games for Dortmund and went on to play for Man City, where he left for Germany.
Guardiola said: “He is a perfect man to manage. He is a good guy and this is the most important thing.
“The quality he had before coming here, he’s kept doing what he’s been doing. We haven’t added much.”
Haaland wins Premier League Player of the Year award
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Take a look at Erling Haaland’s first 10 Premier League goals for Manchester City, as he became the first player to reach the milestone in his first six appearances. The Norwegian was also named the Premier League’s August Player of the Month.
Manchester City striker Haaland was named Premier League Player of the Month for August after scoring nine goals in five games in a brilliant start to his career in England.
The 22-year-old scored twice on his league debut against West Ham and scored once against Newcastle United before scoring consecutive hat-tricks against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest as City won four of their opening five matches.
The Norwegian beat Arsenal duo Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard as well as Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic among others to take the prize.
According to Opta statistics, only former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has scored more goals in a month in the Premier League, with 10 goals in December 2013.
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Watch for FREE: Highlights from the Premier League match between Manchester City and Nottingham Forest.
“I am delighted to win this award for the first time,” said Haaland. “It’s been an incredible start to the season for the team and I’m grateful to everyone who voted.
“We all want to be successful this season, so winning four out of five is a great start for us in the most challenging league in the world.
“I’m happy to have played my part by scoring. Hopefully, I can continue to support the team … and continue our strong start to the season.”
Analysis: How many goals can Haaland score?
Erling Haaland will finish the season with 102 goals in all club competitions if he maintains his strike rate, game time and reach all finals – but how Norwegian player achieves his comeback record?
Can Haaland break the Premier League Golden Boot’s all-time goalscoring record of 32 goals in 38 league games set by Mohamed Salah in 2018? How did Haaland score his goal and did he score more than expected? Has City adjusted their style to suit Haaland?
Can Wolves stop Haaland?
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Watch for FREE: Highlights from Manchester City’s win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Haaland has left anyone questioning whether he needs time to settle in the Premier League, with a stunning start to the season.
The Norwegian striker has scored 10 goals in his six league games and will look to add to that list against Wolves on Saturday. Only Bournemouth have been unable to stop Haaland from scoring in the league this season, so Wolves will have to cut their jobs.
Although Bruno Lage’s side have conceded fewer goals than any other team in the league so far – four goals – their mettle will be put to the test by this City side, who have 20 tables.
