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PEP GUARDIOLA PLAYS IT COOL: FOUR-WORD UPDATE ON ERLING HAALAND’S FITNESS WOES

Pep Guardiola provides an update on Erling Haaland's injury after Man City's loss to Aston Villa. The striker is hopeful to be fit for the Premier League clash vs Bournemouth, potentially resting in the Carabao Cup.

Pep Guardiola Plays It Cool: Four-Word Update on Erling Haaland’s Fitness Woes
Pep Drops Four-Word Hint on Haaland Injury - COURTESY/PHOTO

Erling Haaland's injury worries were not allayed by Pep Guardiola, who just expressed his optimism that his star striker will be "fine" for Manchester City's next games.

When Haaland clattered into the post late in the Cityzens' 1-0 loss to Aston Villa, travelling Man City fans held their breath. In the 90th minute, the Norway international appeared to have given his team the equaliser, but a VAR review disallowed the goal for offside.

After hitting the woodwork, Haaland stayed on the ground in obvious discomfort, but as the last few minutes passed at Villa Park, he played out the game without needing to be substituted.

Guardiola gave a quick update on Haaland's injury concern following the game, saying, "Hopefully he is alright."

The good news for Man City is that they will play Swansea City on Wednesday, October 29, in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. To give No. 9 a few more days to recuperate, Guardiola should not require Haaland to play against the Championship team.

By the time second-place Bournemouth visits the Etihad on Sunday, November 2, the Spanish manager hopes to have Haaland, who has already scored 24 goals for his club and country this season, fully recovered.

Guardiola also offered his thoughts on the Premier League title fight following Man City's loss. The Cityzens are now in fifth position, six points behind league leaders Arsenal, after dropping points against Aston Villa.

However, Guardiola is currently concentrating just on improving his team because there is still a lot of time left in the season.

According to Guardiola, "we aim to close [the margin]." Arsenal has been reliable for a long time. The issue is how we can get closer to each other.

In my experience, it is somewhat lengthy. We try our best, but there are a lot of teams there—Bournemouth is playing pretty well. Watching the title is not our responsibility. Congratulate [Arsenal] if they win every game and the Premier League. However, I think the team is doing well and is alive," Guardiola concluded.

The 10-time English champions' nine-game winning streak came to an end with Man City's defeat to Aston Villa. Guardiola will be keen to get his squad back to winning ways and in a better position ahead of the November international window, especially with games against Bournemouth and Liverpool coming up in the next two weeks.

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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