"We won't do that tomorrow though" - Tuchel recalls chat with Johan Cruyff before hilariously responding to question on how Bayern will stop Haaland
Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel has discussed how he intends to stop Manchester City striker Erling Haaland in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash.
The Bundesliga giants are set to lock horns with Pep Guardiola's side in the first leg of the tie at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday (April 11). The return leg at the Allianz Arena in Munich is scheduled for April 19.
Haaland has been in sensational form since joining Man City from Borussia Dortmund last summer. He has scored 44 goals in all competitions this season and is currently in fine form, with 10 goals in his last three appearances.
Speaking ahead of the much-awaited clash, Tuchel recalled some advice he received from Johan Cruyff when asked how intends to stop Haaland from scoring. He said (via 90min/Goal):
"I’ve had the pleasure of talking to Johan Cruyff who told me about a forward they could never control with Barca until they stopped marking him and then he stopped scoring goals. We won’t do that tomorrow though."
The Bayern Munich boss added:
"It is really impressive and incredible if you look at the figures, his physique and his hunger for goals. The profile of Haaland is unique and they added it to this group, which gives them something they haven’t had in recent years. It is complicated to defend it, but we have to do it as a team. We need to be on top of our game."
Pep Guardiola believes Erling Haaland is as good as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has compared Erling Haaland's goalscoring ability with that of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Speaking after Haaland scored a double in Man City's 4-1 win against Southampton in the Premier League, Guardiola said (via NDTV):
"As a top scorer we lived two incredible decades with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi but he is on that level. He scores a lot of goals. I am very happy with 65 minutes after injury and he helped us again."
At the age of 22, Haaland is well ahead of Messi and Ronaldo at the same stage in their careers. The Norwegian has scored 179 goals and provided 41 assists in 221 appearances in his club career. He has also netted 21 times in 23 appearances for Norway.
By the time Messi was 22, he had scored 140 goals and provided 57 assists in 262 appearances for club and country. Meanwhile, Ronaldo, at the same age, had scored 97 goals and provided 49 assists in 284 appearances for club and country.