Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has cautioned against underestimating Erling Haaland and assured that the Norwegian striker will always respond strongly. Manchester City, the reigning Premier League champions, faced Brentford at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night for their 25th match of the season. In the first half, City had numerous opportunities to score but were unable to convert. However, they increased their efforts in the second half and finally took the lead after more than 20 attempts on goal. In the 71st minute, City initiated a counter-attack after stealing the ball from Brentford. Julian Alvarez delivered a perfectly executed through ball to Haaland, who confidently found the back of the net. This goal marked Haaland’s return to scoring after failing to do so in the previous two games against FC Copenhagen and Chelsea. During the 1-1 draw against Chelsea, Haaland missed nine chances, setting a Premier League record. Guardiola praised Haaland’s performance against Brentford and issued a straightforward warning to those who criticize him. The Spaniard stated that critics should refrain from criticizing prolific scorers or strikers, as Haaland has the ability to silence them. Guardiola also expressed sympathy for Haaland, revealing that the striker had recently lost his grandmother. He acknowledged that Haaland has not been in his best form after being sidelined due to injury for two months and dealing with personal loss. Despite missing five Premier League games, Haaland currently leads the goalscorers’ rankings with 17 goals in 20 appearances, two more goals than second-placed Mohamed Salah.
According to the Source sportslens.com