Pep Guardiola Explains Half-Time ‘Argument’ With Erling Haaland During Manchester City’s Win Over Burnley

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has revealed that a tactical misunderstanding was behind his half-time ‘argument’ with Erling Haaland at Turf Moor. The Norwegian had just opened his account for the campaign when he prodded home Rodri’s knockdown from close-range and then had his second before half-time when he cannoned an effort off the crossbar.

Rodri then smashed home twenty minutes from time when the Clarets failed to clear Phil Foden’s free-kick, but while it was a comprehensive victory and a pleasing way to start his side’s defence of their Premier League crown, Guardiola appeared far from pleased with Haaland at half-time.

As the two teams made their way to the tunnel, Guardiola could be seen gesturing in Haaland’s face and he pushed a Sky Sports camera away in a bid to stop them capturing the footage. But Guardiola says there was not a heated altercation, and the ‘argument’ was instead down to the fact that Haaland wanted the ball in behind Burnley’s defence even though the plan had been for him to come short.

Tactical Misunderstanding

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Guardiola revealed Haaland was angry that Bernardo Silva did not play a through ball shortly before half-time. However, Guardiola says the Portuguese playmaker made the right decision to retain possession.

‘He always wants the ball to him, every time, but this is not possible with man to man,’ said Guardiola. ‘Put the balls in behind and go and run. But when you have few minutes left [of the half], Bernardo was right to not give him the ball. Not an incident, just understanding the connection and learning what we have to do. No problem at all, he scored two goals and he’s happy.’

Pep Guardiola’s Message

Pep Guardiola has made it clear that he expects his players to understand the tactical plan and stick to it, even if it means not playing the ball to Haaland in certain situations. He also wants them to be patient and wait for the right moment to make their move.

This incident shows that Guardiola is not afraid to confront his players if he feels they are not following his instructions, and it is a message that his Manchester City squad will have taken on board.

It is also a reminder that Guardiola is one of the most successful managers in world football, and his ability to get the best out of his players is one of the reasons why Manchester City have been so successful over the last few years.

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