Peter Schmeichel has praised Manchester City striker Erling Haaland for his mentality.
The 23-year-old scored his 18th Premier League goal of the season last weekend in the second half of City’s 3-1 win over Manchester United after he missed a glorious chance in the first period of the game.
With the Norwegian having the opportunity to add to his tally in tomorrow’s big game against Liverpool, one former top-flight star has shared his thoughts on the striker and what makes him unique.
Schmeichel wowed by Haaland mentality
Speaking in a recent edition of Premier League Planet, Schmeichel had this to say about Haaland and what he admires about the striker.
He said: “His impact, for me, is still as strong as it was last season. I know he’s missing chances, the chance he missed against Man United, I don’t feel sorry for him at all, I just felt really, really good because it shows that he’s human, he’s not a machine and I don’t want a machine in football.
“This guy has been fantastic but what I really like about him and where he’s never, ever, ever going to disappoint us is that he’s missing that chance but he still believes that next time I get the ball, it’s going to end up in the back of the net and every defender knows that.
“That means for however many minutes you play the game, your attention on Erling Haaland is 100% and that gives space for other players.”
Even though the City star has scored more goals than any other Premier League player this season, he has also missed more chances (26) than anyone else.
In a recent interview with ESPN Brazil, the striker, who City paid £51m to sign back in 2022, had this to say when asked about his missed chances.
He said: “Of course I blame myself. Only I know what I’m feeling, I feel horrible. It’s not a good feeling. But, again, what can be done? You can’t go back in time and change. You have to think about the next one. So you have to clear your mind and focus on the next step. You can do something about it.”
This highlights the mentality that Schmeichel mentioned and how Haaland’s mindset is always on the next chance that will come his way rather than linger on the ones he misses, which we feel is another reason why he is a top-level striker.
