Guardiola: 'I can't tell Haaland how to score'

Coach Pep Guardiola believes striker Erling Haaland will soon regain his best scoring form, after missing a series of good chances in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea in round 25 of the Premier League.

At the Etihad Stadium on the evening of February 17, Haaland played the full 90 minutes, taking nine shots with two on target. The Norwegian striker missed at least three good chances, including two close-range headers that went over the bar in the 12th and 78th minutes, and a shot that went wide early in the second half. The nine shots and expected goals (xG) of 1.71 against Chelsea were both Haaland's highest statistics without scoring in a match for Man City in all competitions.

However, Guardiola is not pessimistic about this reality. He believes Haaland is playing well and will soon find his best scoring form. "It's good to have nine shots and Haaland will score in the next match," the Spanish coach said. "I've been a footballer for 11 years and scored 11 goals. It's a great statistic, scoring one goal a season. I'm not the right person to give advice to strikers."

Striker Erling Haaland pushes the camera away after the end of the Man City 1-1 Chelsea match in round 25 of the Premier League at Etihad Stadium on February 17. Photo: Reuters

After the final whistle, Haaland pulled his shirt over his head, looked angry and pushed the camera away. Guardiola sympathized with his player's reaction: "Man City created the chance, Haaland had the chance and next time he will score. I don't blame Haaland. That's football, that's normal people."

Visiting the Etihad, Chelsea started the game better and took the lead thanks to Raheem Sterling's curling shot. In the second half, Man City improved the game and even controlled the ball up to 91% at one point. On a day when Haaland was unlucky, Rodri had to shine like in the 2023 Champions League final with a shot from 15m away, hitting Trevoh Chalobah and changing direction into the net, sealing the score at 1-1.

Guardiola admitted that Man City did not play at their level in the first half, and needed to maintain a stable performance for 94, 95 minutes when facing opponents with composure and quality like Chelsea. The Spanish coach believes that Man City only play better after conceding a goal and sees this as a useful lesson for the very high standards and expectations of the team in the most successful period in the club's history.

"The demands are very high and no one will give us anything. We have to do everything ourselves," said Guardiola. "That was always the case last season, and it will be the case again this season. We have to improve the first-half performance, but the second half was unbelievable. The way we played, created chances and overall was really good."

The draw ended City's 11-game winning streak in all competitions and saw them drop to third in the Premier League. They are now on 53 points, two behind Arsenal and four behind Liverpool, but have played a game less. The defending champions will play Brentford on February 20.

Hong Duy

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