After Manchester City defeated Newcastle 2-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Pep Guardiola hailed the performance of Erling Haaland.
Considering Haaland is only associated with putting the ball in the back of the net, in a game where he failed to score, some would question why his display was getting praised.
However, to question why the City striker’s display deserved acclaim would perhaps be a revelation that one did not watch the game as he was a class act against Eddie Howe’s side.
Pep Guardiola says he saw the Erling Haaland he likes to see after Manchester City beat Newcastle
Throughout the contest, one facet where the £51 million (The Guardian) man impressed was his back-to-goal play against Newcastle, as the way he brought the ball down from the air and brought others into the game was excellent.
As City baited the visitors’ press at the Etihad Stadium, Stefan Ortega’s long balls were aimed at the 23-year-old, who helped the hosts create counter-attacking situations out of nowhere with his immaculate first touch and superhuman strength.
As the likes of Sven Botman, Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles pushed up to nick the ball off the treble-winner, he managed to find Jeremy Doku or Phil Foden, as they exploited the space that was left behind the visitors’ defence.
Even in terms of his ball-carrying, the former Borussia Dortmund striker was brilliant, as he was not afraid to drive forward and test Martin Dubravka, coming close to scoring in the second half.
All in all, Erling Haaland impressed against Newcastle, as Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola only had good things to say about his performance.
“Today was the Erling [Haaland] I like to see. I like it. It was in the moments that we didn’t find him a little bit more, for the player from behind. With [Jamaal] Lascelles and [Sven] Botman jumped to Jeremy [Doku] and Phil [Foden], we should have used it a little bit more in the space but sometimes, it’s difficult to see in the game”, he said [via Hayters TV].
On another day in which Haaland would have received better service, he would have added to his goal tally, as his dominant display certainly merited him also getting on the scoresheet.
