Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has defended Erling Haaland amid recent backlash by Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane. The former Manchester United midfielder labeled the superstar striker a “League Two player” following City’s goalless draw against Arsenal. The harsh comments certainly raised eyebrows considering Haaland broke the Premier League‘s scoring record just last season.
Nevertheless, Keane doubled down on his criticism during an appearance this week on the Stick to Football podcast. “I don’t know what the big deal is,” claimed Keane. “I give Erling Haaland praise every week and I think he’s an amazing striker. But his general play is that of a League Two player. I don’t expect people to agree with me.”
Guardiola, however, dismissed the criticism by claiming that City would not have won their five recent trophies without Haaland. “The target is to win trophies and he did,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday. “Would we have won five trophies last year without him? Not a chance. It’s not about Erling or any other player. Until you retire, you can [always] be better.”
Haaland was a key figure in City’s squad in four of these five triumphs since he joined the club. The Norway international did miss the most recent Club World Cup due to injury, but the English side may not have even qualified for the tournament if not for Haaland.
A lack of big-game ability?
One seemingly valid point in the criticism surrounding Haaland is that he does not score in the biggest games. The star has yet to net a goal for City in any semifinal or final of a competition since joining the team. This stretch of matches includes failing to score against Real Madrid (twice) and Inter Milan in last season’s Champions League.
However, Haaland also could not grab a goal against Sheffield United or Manchester United in the FA Cup or when the club faced Sevilla for the UEFA Super Cup.
Despite the lack of goals in these…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/haalands-goal-record-proves-hes-far-from-league-two-player
Author : Chris Moore
Publish date : 2024-04-12 15:19:17
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