Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has explained why he was so upset with Erling Haaland at half-time against Burnley.
Manchester City began their Premier League campaign with a fine victory against Burnley (3-0) at Turf Moor. Erling Haaland, the Eastlands striker, was the man of the match with a double scored. But that didn’t stop him from being yelled at by Pep Guardiola at half-time.
Guardiola played down the incident
As he joined the locker room, the Norwegian saw his coach give him a soap. A big mouthful that he gave her in front of the broadcaster’s cameras. “It was since the last action, I went a little crazy because Bernardo (Silva) didn’t serve me so he was furious with me”, Haaland explained.
When you scored a double, but your coach is still not happy 😅#BURMCI | #PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/PdxM6OKC1v
– CANAL+ Foot (@CanalplusFoot) August 11, 2023
The Sky Blues striker did not say more about the incident, but his coach took care of doing it for him. “He (Haaland) wanted the ball to be behind him and this ball should not be behind,” said the Catalan technician, commenting on this incident. Sometimes you have to be patient to find the right moment. He wasn’t frustrated, I’m not frustrated. In football it happens. Do not dramatize”.
Haaland returned to the field and stayed on the pitch until the 80e before being replaced by Palmer. He could not sign a hat-trick, but he did not take offense. “At half-time, we planned to do exactly what we did in the second half. We could have scored more, we had chances. It’s a good start for the first game of the season”.
As a reminder, Haaland enjoyed an incredible first season in England after joining City from Borussia Dortmund. He slammed 52 goals in all competitions and helped his side win the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. Performances that he is well on his way to repeating this year.
