Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Erling Haaland after he missed a sitter before scoring the winner against Crystal Palace in the Premier League. For the most part of 80 minutes, City toiled away at Selhurst Park, with Haaland spooning a close-range shot over the bar with the goal gaping, but their Norwegian striker slammed home via a pressure penalty with 12 minutes remaining. This brought Haaland’s season tally to 28 Premier League goals, bringing City within two points of leaders Arsenal, who must respond with a win against Fulham on Super Sunday.
“One of the benefits of getting to know him well is that he can miss one opportunity and not become upset or sad. And he’s upbeat about the next one,” Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola said about Erling Haaland. “He knows he’ll have the opportunity, and he’ll be there. It is an excellent quality in a football player and athlete. You cannot be a good player in football, basketball, or tennis if you are thinking about an activity that has just passed or finished. He’s got another one, another one.”
Haaland celebrated his penalty aggressively, sprinting to the corner and being swarmed by every one of his City teammates except goalkeeper Ederson. On the outside, it appeared to be a moment of redemption after squandering his previous opportunity, but Guardiola thinks City’s top striker is always under pressure.
“Of course, he feels the strain. It’s lovely. You must feel it. You’ll be in the bar drinking something if you don’t feel the pressure. You must adapt and deal with it. It’s the pressure of knowing that if we lose, we’ll lose the Premier League. We will be eliminated from the Champions League if we lose 2-0. We will lose the FA Cup if we lose to Vinny [Kompany]. That is a fantastic mindset to have if you want to be the best,” he added. “He missed a penalty in the first half since the chances of his missing the penalty are greater. He likes it. The way he celebrates his goals demonstrates how delighted he is to be here and how thrilled we are to have him. The personality of a young guy to take the ball, put it there not softly, and the score was excellent.”
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