Erling Haaland’s form has Pep Guardiola ‘concerned’

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has joked that he is ‘concerned’ about Erling Haaland’s form after the striker scored a brace in the Champions League. City extended their unbeaten European run to a record 17 games with a 3-1 win at Young Boys on Wednesday.

Manuel Akanji gave City the lead shortly after half-time before Meschak Elia’s incredible chipped effort gave the Swiss side an unexpected equaliser. But after winning a soft penalty, Haaland fired his team back in front from the spot before sealing the three points with a sumptuous, late strike.

Haaland’s Form

While he was able to end his five-game goal drought in the Champions League, the Norway striker still looked a little shaky and anxious in front of goal, spurning several good chances to score throughout the match.

While he has scored 11 goals in 14 games so far this season, some believe his performances aren’t quite matching up to those of last season where he found the back of the net a record 52 times. Though the 23-year-old leads the Premier League golden boot race with nine goals, he has also missed nine big chances this campaign, the most in the top-flight.

‘He is just like any other striker, people get onto him because of the season he had last year. It is a credit to him and what he did last year,’ City teammate and the man of the match against Young Boys, Rico Lewis said post-match.

Pep Guardiola’s Reaction

Asked if Haaland ‘worries’ about not taking more chances, Guardiola told TNT Sports: ‘A lot, a lot. Honestly, I’m so concerned!

‘The people expect him to score four goals every time. The people want him to fail. I am sorry but this guy will score goals all his life, with the chances he is an incredible threat.

‘It is important to have the chances. The players need the ability to find the pass like Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan. But he is going to score until the last day he plays football.

‘It was an exceptional game our positional game was really good. The physicality of them led to a little bit more aggression against them in the one-on-one.

‘One more game to qualify mathematically and then two more to finish first.’

Conclusion

Erling Haaland’s form this season has been impressive but not quite up to his standards from last season. While he has scored 11 goals in 14 games so far this season, some believe his performances aren’t quite matching up to those of last season where he found the back of the net a record 52 times. Pep Guardiola has joked that he is ‘concerned’ about Haaland’s form and believes that people are expecting too much from him. However, Guardiola is confident that Haaland will continue to score goals until his last day as a professional footballer.