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GUARDIOLA PRAISES MANCHESTER CITY’S COLLECTIVE EFFORT BOOSTING HAALAND’S SCORING POWER

Pep Guardiola praised goalscorers Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva after Man City's 2-0 UCL win at Villarreal. The boss was happy with the control and clean sheet, highlighting the importance of scoring from different sources.

Guardiola Praises Manchester City’s Collective Effort Boosting Haaland’s Scoring Power
Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola - Photo Credit: (Alberto Saiz/AP) (AP)

When Manchester City defeated Villarreal 2-0 on Tuesday, Pep Guardiola was happy to see another name on the scoreboard.

Erling Haaland almost unavoidably scored again as City won their first Champions League away game in six tries, but captain Bernardo Silva's strong header came after his early effort.

After Saturday's 2-0 loss to Everton, in which Haaland scored a brace to give City their seventh goal in all competitions, City manager Guardiola stated that the team could not always count on the Norwegian, who has now scored an incredible 24 goals in 14 appearances for club and country this season.

"I am happy that Bernardo scored with his head and that Erling scored again," Guardiola remarked.

It reminded me a little of Lionel Messi. Like a hammer, actually. Their necks are hammered. Despite their diminutive size, they have excellent head contact.

"I am happy about the victory. Villarreal is a top team, and they had some decent chances.

The first half was excellent, and the atmosphere is positive. We created a strong threat and scored at the appropriate times.

City has now earned seven points from their three league-phase games and is nine games undefeated overall.

For a squad that struggled the previous season and missed the round of 16, it is a healthy place.

Guardiola remarked, "The difference with last season is that we had (injured) guys in the hospital." "We needed to play every three games, and our 15 or 16 guys were becoming exhausted after 70 minutes."

Even if Villarreal caused them some discomfort in the second half, the victory was never truly in question.

"We felt in control for the whole of the game," Guardiola remarked. We can always perform better, and we believe we could have stopped several of their spells, but if we want to win the competition, we must be hard on ourselves.

"A win and a clean sheet make us pleased.

"A game is never over at 2-0, but we were not anxious. We had multiple opportunities, but they had two. This is the result.

"We need to and will improve on the lengthy period it took to force them to play deep."

TOP MANAGER: KOLO TOURE ANALYZES PEP GUARDIOLA'S AMAZING ENERGY AND PASSION

Man City coach Kolo Toure praises Pep Guardiola, revealing the manager's philosophy is to "just be you." Toure is amazed by Guardiola's lasting energy and passion after a decade in England.

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Toure Reveals Pep Guardiola's Surprising Coaching Philosophy

Kolo Toure thinks Manchester City has the world's top manager, and he shared his thoughts on working with Pep Guardiola. Toure started with City's Under-18s for a year before joining the first team coaching staff at the Etihad.

The ex-City and Arsenal defender was excited to work with Guardiola, something he had wanted to do as a player. Though that didn't happen, he took the opportunity to coach at City and then joined Guardiola's staff when Carlos Vicens left last season.

Guardiola surprised Toure, especially in their first meeting when Toure got his instructions. He's enjoying his job now.

Working with Pep Guardiola is amazing. He lets me be myself, which I didn't expect. The first thing he told me was just be you. "That's incredible," he said.

Some managers tell you what to do, but Pep wants you to express yourself because he knows everyone has something special to offer. He doesn't box you in. He lets you be the best you can be for the team. That's the best thing.

Even after Guardiola's decade in English soccer, Touré is impressed by his energy as City chases Arsenal for the league lead. Guardiola's City contract goes to the end of the 2026/27 season, and he's still setting the bar high for his staff.

The manager's energy every day is amazing. "I'm surprised by how much he still has after all these years in the league, the passion he brings to every meeting and training session," he said.

He enjoys every day, and we enjoy it too. You can see it in the games. No matter what, we have a great team spirit and lots of energy, and we fight for every ball. We try to play our style of soccer since we like to keep possession, but we can also fight when needed, which shows the team's spirit.

ERLING HAALAND JOKES: CITY STAR MOCKS ARSENAL FAN LAURA WOODS AFTER MADRID WIN

Erling Haaland had a funny live TV moment with Arsenal fan Laura Woods after Man City's win, but his ruthless form ensures Arsenal's title-race pressure is real.

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Haaland Knows His Rivalry, Fires Title Race Warning

Erling Haaland had a funny reaction on Wednesday night when he found out TNT Sports presenter Laura Woods is an Arsenal fan. This happened during a live TV interview after Manchester City beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the Champions League. The Norwegian player scored his 21st goal of the season, a penalty right before halftime.

Pep Guardiola's team has only lost three of their last 20 games. They were 10 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal a couple of weeks ago, but now they're only two points behind. Woods knows that Haaland has often been a problem for Arsenal, who haven't won the league in over 20 years.

His rivalry with Gabriel in recent games has made the competition for the top spot in English football more interesting. The funny thing is, Haaland is aware of how Arsenal fans see him.

Woods wanted to know how the Manchester City players were feeling after another big win. She asked Haaland if he thought they could catch up with Arsenal. Steve McManaman and Steven Gerrard quickly told Haaland that Woods supports Arsenal.

Haaland replied, So she probably doesn't like me then...

Haaland has played against Arsenal seven times in the Premier League and has a great record against them. He’s only lost twice, scoring five goals and assisting on two others.

So when Woods agreed that she probably doesn't like him, she was serious. She’s probably tired of seeing him. His response wasn't the only funny moment; he also joked about Mohamed Salah.

Arsenal is probably worried again.

In the past, this was the time of year when Arsenal's title hopes started to fail. They're already repeating old mistakes, dropping points in three of their last five league games: a 2-2 draw at Sunderland, a 1-1 draw against 10-man Chelsea, and a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa.

Their main rivals, Man City, are now only two points behind. If Arsenal wants to win the title, they’ll need to handle the pressure. A few weeks ago, everyone thought Arsenal would finally win the league, but now it's not so sure, and Haaland will likely have a big part to play if Arteta's team can't finish the job.

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