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Sat 27 August 2022 | 18:30

Guardiola: Haaland hat-trick is nothing special

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says Erling Haaland's hat-trick against Crystal Palace is nothing special.

Man City

beat

Palace

4-2 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday thanks to

Erling Haaland's

hat-trick. This is the fourth time in six Premier League matches that they came from two goals behind.

Guardiola told Sky Sports:

"What he has done today he has done all his career. It's nothing special."

He then added in his post-match press conference:

"I would say thanks to me for my brilliant ideas, but I'd say Erling has done this since he was born.

"Always he has done this in his life, at Salzburg, BVB [Borussia Dortmund], always scored goals. These teams who defend deep... he has an incredible sense of goal. The three goals, especially the last one, and the first one as well, good goals.

"He came for that [scoring important goals], what he has done all his life, the numbers of this guy is beyond [comprehension].

"The most important thing is he settled perfectly, an incredibly humble guy. He chats more with guys from the academy players, and it means a lot.

"What I like about Erling is we are still knowing each other, still need more time. I saw his body language at 2-0 down and how he encouraged his mates. I had the feeling that maybe he was not involved in the game, but always he was there.

"He didn't run from the game, always he is there. As a striker, that is incredible, he didn't touch the ball but had a feeling the ball was there and was always involved.

"Football is here [the head]. The third goal, it's the same pass from [Ilkay] Gundogan at West Ham, we spoke to put the ball to his feet between the central defenders.

"It was quite similar to West Ham in how he used his body. He didn't shoot, he put it soft where the keeper cannot save. Look at the numbers, strikers are numbers. You see how many games in his career; how many goals [he's scored] is astonishing."

Haaland has scored six goals in his first four Premier League games which made him just the fourth player to reach this milestone.

"Definitely for this type of game,"

Guardiola told BBC Sport of his reasons for signing the striker.

"We have not done anything special for him that he didn't do before.

"It is important for him to get goals. He has the sense to score goals. The third one, to have the quality to be strong then put the ball in the net... the space depends on the movement of the opponents.

"You have to be patient and have more runners. It gives him more space."


source: SportMob



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