Erling Haaland: Pep Guardiola hails Manchester City striker as he targets 100 club goals - 'The impact has been huge'
Updated 18/09/2024 at 09:54 GMT
Pep Guardiola has hailed his superstar striker Erling Haaland as the Norwegian looks to continue his incredible start to the season when Manchester City begin their UEFA Champions League campaign against Internazionale on Wednesday evening. The prolific 24-year-old has already produced a staggering nine goals in four Premier League matches – a run which included two successive hat-tricks.
Erling Haaland of Manchester City celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal and his hat-trick with Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Ipswich Town FC at Etihad Stadium
Image credit: Getty Images
Erling Haaland has impressed Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola with his electrifying start to the season, with his boss saying "the impact has been huge" since he arrived at the club.
Guardiola was asked about the influence Haaland has had ahead of City's clash with Internazionale in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday – a match that fans can enjoy live on TNT Sports and discovery+ as the home of European football.
The Spaniard did not hold back when describing how big of an impact the striker has had since he joined the club from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.
Haaland is now targeting his 100th goal for the club his father also represented, having already racked up an eye-watering 99 strikes in 103 appearances, and Guardiola did not understate his contribution.
"The impact has been huge, on and off the pitch, and especially inside the locker room, so it is great," Guardiola told TNT Sports.
"The numbers are there, but not the influence in our game and how we can adapt to him. He is okay and the numbers are there, so hopefully he can continue."
While Haaland would have wanted to have represented Norway at Euro 2024 over the summer, Guardiola was also sure that his striker had benefited from the time off.
"He would love to be in an international competition for Norway," he said. "I am pretty sure it is a dream for him, and he will do everything to try and achieve it.
"But yes, to have rest for one and a half months, to be recovered, not just for the physical, but the mental approach."
Erling Haaland, Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
Image credit: Getty Images
Another star who Guardiola has been delighted to see continue to shine for the club, Rodri, has been listed among the 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or, with the defensive midfielder considered a serious contender for the award.
Asked by TNT Sports how happy he was to see Rodri on the list, he said: "Absolutely, and hopefully he can win it. We would love it and I would love it for him because he would deserve it.
"We are used to Cristiano, Messi, Messi, Cristiano all the time. Sometimes another player, but hopefully he can win it."
Regarding the new format of the Champions League this season, Guardiola believes his players must still have the same mentality to achieve success, particularly in their matches at home.
"Everything is new, but like the old format, you have to win games, and it is not that complicated," he said. "There are more games and there is a different qualification, but you have to win games.
"In the past, when we were able to qualify from the group stages, it was because at home we were strong. We needed to play well at home, and we will have to do the same in this format. The games you have at home, you have to try to take them.
"It is just the first game of the group stage and many things can happen, so you just have to analyse what you have to do. This competition is so nice but there are a lot of games and a lot of setbacks.
"It is a question of relaxing and arriving in the moment of the game fresh and ready – this is what we have to do. We have done it, it's just a question of whether we can continue to do it, to win in many different ways. The mentality of the players makes the difference.
"We have won the Community Shield and four games in a row in the Premier League, so that is nice, but it is just the beginning. We have been doing good things, but in the last game, Brentford were much better than us, so we just need to improve from that."
TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024-25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
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