Coach Pep Guardiola praised Erling Haaland’s resilience after Manchester City’s 1-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace on the night of March 11.
The Norway international took five shots on goal of the “blue eagle” but only scored one goal from the penalty spot by Haaland.
This is an important victory to help Man City in the big title race in England.
This is Haaland’s third goal in his last nine matches across all competitions, while in his first 15 games he has scored 21.
The former Borussia Dortmund striker’s ability to miss chances has impressed Guardiola. Speaking after the game, the Spaniard told the Manchester Evening News: “One of the biggest attributes of Haaland that I discovered and knew from working together was that he never lost his mind. myself. Haaland is like a monster.”
He added: “Haaland may miss a few chances but he never gets bored, he is not sad. He is a positive thinker. Next game, Haaland knows he will have a chance and scored again. This is an incredible attribute for a footballer.”
Along with resilience, Pep revealed Haaland is also very patient. He barely took part in Manchester City’s default play and made just six of the correct 532 passes to his team-mates during the game.
Erling Haaland has stated that he is not interested in Crystal Palace’s defensive approach against Manchester City but is primarily looking to score goals against them. The Eagles had no shots on target and held only 32 percent of possession throughout the game at Selhurst Park. Despite the game going goalless until the 78th minute, Haaland kept his focus and helped his team win their 4th consecutive win in all competitions.
The 22-year-old said after the game: “I don’t care about the opponent’s style of play. When I play in every game, I have to try to focus on my kick. Last match against Crystal Palace, We were 2-0 down, and this game we were held for a long time. Man City have to continue to persevere, because every game is not easy. We have to play in different ways. have to adapt to the way the team plays.”
Crystal Palace were leading 2-0 until the 53rd minute against Manchester City at the Etihad when the two teams met in the tournament last August. But then Cityzens went on to win 4-2, with Haaland scoring a hat trick.
The young Norwegian striker has contributed significantly to put Man City 2 points behind the top team Arsenal. The Gunners still have a game in hand and can restore their 5-point lead if they win against Fulham tonight, 12-3. On the contrary, this distance will be shortened if Arsenal stumble and make the race more intense.
