The short version
- Haaland is back from injury and scored against Nottingham Forest
- Guardiola says Haaland handled the injuries well and points out the importance of learning from experience
- Manchester City can win the Premier League and the FA Cup
- Next match against Wolverhampton on Saturday at 18.30
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– He has been injured and sometimes it is about rhythm. But that’s fine, we’ve talked about it. He played well, took part in the goal, his movements, his control… his influence is always good, he did it really well.
The Norwegian got half an hour away against Nottingham Forest last weekend and punctuated the match to 2-0 with a solid score.
The injury he returned from was the Norwegian’s second this season. In December and January he was out of action for a long time with a foot injury.
Did you catch his special cheer?
Despite the absence, Haaland is the top scorer in the Premier League with his 21 goals. And Manchester City have the opportunity to win both the Premier League and the FA Cup with five games left in the season.
– How has he handled the setbacks he has had with injury this season?
– It is part of human nature in this sport.
– But how has he handled it?
The question brings out the Spaniard’s philosophical side.
– It is a process. It’s about living out your experiences. Life is not for the manager to say “this is how it is, you have to handle it this way”. You have to live it out, maybe it can go down a bit after 60 goals in a season. If you learn that, next season will be better. It’s about knowing how you think about this season, what happened, what can be done better for many reasons, he says.
– It doesn’t apply to Erling, it applies to everyone, including me. I can tell the players that, but they have to experience it for themselves. Otherwise, I’ll be like a grandfather, who just talks about it…then people won’t care.
– Getting injured is obviously never good, but could it have been a “blessing in disguise” that he lost a couple of games to get his energy back to peak?
– Erling always had that energy, I didn’t notice any difference from last year. He knows his body perfectly, he is so professional and always knows what to do, says the Spaniard.
The Norwegian has received a lot of criticism in recent months. The figures show that City have scored more, conceded less and won more without Haaland on the pitch.
The numbers show not that the matches he has missed due to injury are against teams outside the top sixHaaland has lost league games against Luton, Crystal Palace, Everton, Sheffield United, Newcastle and Brighton. In addition, he was an unused substitute against fourth-placed Aston Villa. – he has played almost all the top games, where City as a team have also struggled.
– Sometimes it happens in football, it’s not just about you, but about your teammates and opponents. The important thing is that he has helped us get here this season and now it is the last effort. Only two weeks left, enjoy it, says Pep Guardiola.
On Saturday at 18.30, Wolverhampton awaits at home, one of four games they must win to secure the Premier League title.
