“I was imagining myself being there” – Erling Haaland admits being upset with watching Manchester City last season
Erling Haaland recently revealed that he got frustrated while watching Manchester City games last season as he saw gaps in the attack. He added that, at times, his teammates were creating chances, but there was no striker in the box to tap it in.
Haaland has been in stunning form since joining City from Borussia Dortmund last summer and has managed 52 goals in as many games across competitions. He has 12 goals in 10 UEFA Champions League matches and will be aiming to add to them in the final against Inter Milan on June 10.
Speaking to Rio Ferdinand on BT Sport, Haaland disclosed that he kept an eye on Manchester City matches last season to study where he needed to be during the games. He said:
"It's a good thing to be good at tapping balls in. Last season, I watched so many times when crosses would go through the whole box and no one was there. I was imagining myself being there and thinking I'd slide that in. I was thinking of that when I came here."
He added:
"I'm not the one that's going to create chances but I have my role in the team. And that's this (tap-ins). My job is to help the team put the ball in the back of the net."
Haaland won the Golden Boot in the Premier League this season with a record-breaking 36 goals in 35 games.
Erling Haaland does not rewatch his Manchester City matches
City manager Pep Guardiola revealed in February that Erling Haaland has been studying Harry Kane, and watching matches of the England striker. However, Haaland has dismissed the claims and stated that he does not believe in watching tapes of matches or studying the other strikers.
In his conversation with Rio Ferdinand, the Manchester City striker was asked about his preparations for the matches. He admitted that he used to rewatch games and try to eliminate his mistakes, but has stopped them. Halaand said:
"I don't watch my games back at all, actually. I try to think of the next game, not too much about how I did and what I did wrong. I try to attack the next game. I did that a bit when I was younger but I was overthinking a lot so I stopped. I don't watch anyone else's (game tapes) as well."
Manchester City have won the Premier League and the FA Cup this season and are aiming for a treble. They have Inter Milan standing in their way and the UEFA Champions League final takes place on Saturday in Istanbul.