"You've got to be cute" - Alan Smith tells Arsenal how to deal with 'defender's nightmare' Erling Haaland
Former Arsenal star Alan Smith has advised the Gunners how to deal with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland ahead of their clash in the Premier League. The Englishman stated that the defenders would need to be "cute" and not let him know where they are on to nullify the threats of the towering forward.
Manchester City will host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in the weekend's most anticipated fixture today (September 22). Ahead of the encounter, football fans simply can't stop talking about Erling Haaland and the threat he poses against the opposition defenders.
The striker has been in beast mode this season, scoring goals for fun and reaching incredible milestones. As the Gunners gear up for this massive test, Alan Smith has professed a possible solution for their defenders to contain Haaland.
“He’s a defender’s nightmare," the Englishman told Man City's website about the Norwegian. "As a defender, you wouldn’t want to get involved in a tussle with him. You’ve got to be cute and not let him know where you are.
“Those were the worst defenders for me when you couldn’t feel them. I always liked to feel where the defender was but if you don’t know, it’s much harder.
“In terms of this weekend’s opponents Arsenal, they have two excellent centre-halves in Gabriel and Saliba so it will be very interesting how that one pans out,” he added.
Erling Haaland has now recorded an unbelievable nine goals in just four Premier League appearances this season. He opened his account for the term with a brilliant strike versus Chelsea on Matchday 1. He followed it up with back-to-back hat-tricks against Ipswich Town and West Ham United before bagging a brace in his most recent outing versus Brentford.
Highlighting Erling Haaland's record versus Arsenal
Since joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund back in the summer of 2022, Erling Haaland has now come up against Arsenal on six occasions across all competitions. He ended up on the winning side three times, on the losing side twice and played out one draw, according to Transfermarkt.
A closer look at the numbers reveal that the Norwegian hasn't been very prolific against the Londoners as he's bagged just two goals and as many assists in this fixture so far. In fact, he's failed to score against them in his last three outings.
That said, all eyes will be on the Gunners' defense when the match kicks off at the Etihad Stadium today. Will Mikel Arteta's backline be able to contain the Norwegian sharpshooter once again? Well, we shall see in a few hours.