Ben Mee has given an insight into the ‘nasty’ ways of Erling Haaland when Brentford went toe-to-toe with Manchester City this season.
The youngster has been renowned as being a generational goalscorer who has little to no weakness. So much so that even Real Madrid’s Rodrygo said, “no one knows how to stop him.”
However, Ben Mee has said that Manchester City No.9 Erling Haaland finds new ways to make it a headache to go toe-to-toe with him.
Ben Mee reveals what it is like to face Erling Haaland
The 22-year-old is known to bully defenders, as he was famously pushed Jonny Otto off the ball whilst running towards Wolves’ goal.
The Norwegian forward also barged Adam Webster before tapping the ball into an empty net during his side’s 3-1 win against Brighton.
However, when Brentford beat Manchester City 2-0 earlier this season, Erling Haaland found new ways to trouble Ben Mee.
“We’ve seen the goals, the pace, the touch of Erling Haaland, but when you’re up close and personal, does he have the nasty tricks of the trade as well?” Mee was asked.
“Yeah, we’ve seen it in games, he likes giving defenders a bit by grabbing or pinching. He tries to put you off by having a joke with you, you can same that on TV. He has all of those tricks. You see it in the lower leagues sometimes with the old pros doing it, but it’s refreshing to see and it’s working for him”, he told Optus Sport.
MCN View: Manchester City well and truly have a killer on their books
The very best try to find the most minute advantages over their opponents and as Ben Mee has revealed, Erling Haaland falls into that bracket of players.
To even a majority of current pros, these habits would come off as rather strange and unorthodox.
But it seems like Erling Haaland would do anything and everything to weaken his opponent, which Ben Mee experienced during his side’s visit to the Etihad Stadium.
Perhaps Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba may also be challenged with taming the Manchester City juggernaut in a number of ways apart from his distinct eye for a goal.
