In his first season with Manchester City, Erling Haaland achieved a number of noteworthy firsts.
In the fewest number of games, Haaland has scored 30 Premier League goals and is on pace to score 44 goals across all competitions this season. His extraordinary feats have already broken a number of records, and on Tuesday night, the City striker will be attempting to beat Bayern Munich for the first time.
When playing for Borussia Dortmund, Haaland played Bayern seven times, each time losing despite scoring five goals. But, Pep Guardiola will be hopeful his star striker can lead City to a first-leg victory on Tuesday night and move them closer to Champions League glory given that Haaland scores goals for joy.
Guardiola emphasized how crucial Erling is to the team. “The intentions and power are beyond dispute. He came to support us so that we could participate in the Champions League while also supporting us in the Premier League and FA Cup.
“Although having a guy who can score from a distance is crucial, we have scored enough goals in the Champions League throughout the years. We had six goals against Monaco before being eliminated. We managed four goals against Tottenham before being eliminated. We defeated Madrid with four goals and were eliminated.
“Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, and Erling constantly gave me the impression that we scored with a false nine. We’ve consistently scored goals. It wasn’t the issue.”
In the final stages of the Champions League, City has struggled to shut out opponents during crucial situations. In the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid last year, City had a 1-0 lead and was 5-3 up on the night, but they lost after extra time after conceding twice in the closing minute.
In light of this, Guardiola conceded that stronger defending is necessary if City is to have any chance of winning the Champions League. Guardiola advised, “Attack more effectively and defend what you must defend.”
“We go off against one another in these contests. We must give it our all as soon as the game begins. Everyone needs to be focused on what we’re doing and what needs to be done in every department.”
Thomas Tuchel, who guided Chelsea to a 1-0 victory over City in the 2021 Champions League final in Porto, will face up against Pep Guardiola. Guardiola said he is not troubled by the defeat, but he acknowledged City should have done better to secure the victory and finally rule Europe. Guardiola expressed his sadness while praising Chelsea for their triumph.
“A month later, I wrote the game’s review. Although it wasn’t as horrible as I had anticipated, the performance fell short of winning it. The game was extremely tight, as they typically were while playing Chelsea around the time. Hence, give up and try again.”
Before joining City, Guardiola spent three years at Bayern, and he is aware that the German champions will have confidence in their ability to prevail on Tuesday night at the Etihad Stadium. Bayern is not a team that is designed to believe it will happen in the second leg, “Guardiola stated. “This team was made to come here and win. I got the impression from my observations while I was there that regardless of where you play, you have to win.