“That’s good, I like it” – Guardiola compares Erling Haaland's trait to Lionel Messi's after impressive Manchester City debut
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola compared Erling Haaland's hunger for goals with Lionel Messi's following the youngster's goalscoring Premier League debut.
He netted both goals in City's 2-0 win over West Ham on Sunday as City opened their 2022-23 Premier League campaign with a win. Haaland opened his account with a nonchalant penalty in the first half before adding a second after the break.
Erling Haaland is the first Manchester City player to score twice on his Premier League debut since Sergio Aguero 🎯 https://t.co/t7t0GswjXR
Despite his best efforts, a hat-trick eluded Haaland, but Guardiola was full of praise for the 22-year-old, saying his desire to keep scoring reminds him of Messi.
In his post-match press conference, the Spaniard said (via GOAL):
"That's good, I like it. I was fortunate as manager to be with Messi, and when he scored two, he wanted three, and when scored three, he wants four. The top goalscorers are never satisfied; they are always hungry and starving and want more."
Haaland had a stinker in his first official appearance for City in the Community Shield defeat to Liverpool on July 30.
He missed a glorious chance to score late on, which led to fans lampooning him, but Guardiola revealed that the former Borussia Dortmund striker worked hard to recover from it. The Spaniard added:
"I know how he handled a lot of criticism this week. He was really calm; he trained really well, but the way he took the ball for the penalty, I said, 'I like it'. "(He's) so direct, and I think if someone is taking the ball, he would punch them in the face even though they are his mates. And that is a pretty good sign. To be so confident, I like it."
Manchester City next play Bournemouth in the Premier League on August 13.
Haaland a new 'weapon' for Manchester City?
Haaland's exploits at Dortmund made him a highly sought-after star, so there are high expectations of him at Manchester City.
Haaland's Bundesliga debut: ⚽⚽⚽
Haaland's Premier League debut: ⚽⚽
They did say it would be harder to score in the Premier League 😅 https://t.co/srMNHkphVh
Guardiola said he's 'another weapon' in the squad but also admitted Haaland alone cannot resolve all their issues. He said:
"Erling scoring the two goals, it's important for him and the team and for us, and it's another weapon we have now," he said. But at the same time, he's not going to solve all our problems; he's going to add something to us as a team. That's what we are looking for."
Haaland is coming off a 22-goal Bundesliga season.