PREMIER LEAGUE RIVALS BEWARE: ERLING HAALAND PROMISES RELENTLESS CITY ATTACKING THREAT
Erling Haaland warns Man City's rivals he is in the "best version of myself" physically and mentally. The striker aims to break records as Pep Guardiola manages his 1000th game vs Liverpool.
Erling Haaland has warned Manchester City’s rivals - Photo Credit: Steven Paston/PA
In his quest for more goals, Erling Haaland has cautioned Manchester City's opponents that he is in the best physical and mental shape of his career.
With 13 goals so far this season, the Premier League's leading scorer has more than doubled his nearest rivals, including Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth.
Haaland is hoping to surpass his previous best of 52 goals in a single season, having scored 18 goals in 14 games across all competitions going into Sunday's matchup with Liverpool.
The 25-year-old declared, "I think this is the best version of myself." "This is the best feeling I have ever had."I feel great, and it is been a terrific start.
I have to keep my head in the correct place in order to stay sharp. It involves maintaining equilibrium and staying in the zone.
With a victory over Arne Slot's team at the Etihad Stadium, City may move four points clear of Liverpool thanks to Haaland's incredible play, which has kept them in the hunt behind league leaders Arsenal.
Erling Haaland has cautioned Manchester City's opponents that, in his quest for more goals, he is in the finest physical and mental shape of his career.
In addition, Haaland honoured City manager Pep Guardiola before his 1,000th game in charge.
Pep Guardiola's 1000th game as manager is brought up during the discussion, and Haaland feels that City owes its head coach to fire themselves into the running for the championship.
It is the brilliant Pep Guardiola. The Norwegian continued. There is a reason he has been winning so much: his hard work and dedication.
Take a look at all that he has accomplished for this team and over his career; it is quite amazing. It is about cooperating; we must pay attention to him as he instructs us on how to play and what to do. He deserves our performance, so we must do it for him.
Guardiola said Liverpool are ideal opponents for the day he hits 1,000 and denied claims that his coaching has tactically altered the game.
Eight of the nine titles since Guardiola took over have been won by City and Liverpool, who were separated by just one point in two of those seasons.
"They would be the best rival if I had to pick only one for my personal milestone," Guardiola remarked. Liverpool has been the nation's fiercest adversary, particularly under Jurgen Klopp.
To be honest, it could not be better. That was decided by the universe. Living life to the fullest is pleasant. I am sorry, but the numbers are crazy.
"The wins, the average (points), not only in the Premier League but also in the Champions League... we have achieved amazing feats here, at Barcelona, and in Bayern Munich."
It is hard to get to, and I would not get there if I started over. Throughout history, managers have had an influence. Since the numbers support it and it has been enjoyable to watch our team, I can say that I have been involved.
LIVERPOOL FORWARD HUGO EKITIKE ADMITS SLOT’S PRESSURE KEEPS HIM PERFORMING STRONG
Hugo Ekitike laughs off Arne Slot's demanding coaching style, saying the boss is "on my back" to push his work-rate without the ball, not for a "bad thing." The striker also praises Haaland and reveals what he learned from Mbappé, Messi, and Neymar.
Ekitike on Slot: “He’s on my back—and I respect it - COURTESY/PHOTO
Hugo Ekitike laughed, shook his head back, and then gave a forceful answer before the question was even finished. Is the striker frequently pushed during training by Liverpool manager Arne Slot?
"Yes!" exclaimed the striker for France. "It is annoying when you get p***ed as a player. He genuinely cares about me and the team's success. He is on my back, I would say, but not in a negative way. I do not mind because all he wants is to help me.
When a coach is on your back, you may remark on it occasionally because you feel like it is a bit too much, and you want to vent.
"But that is a good thing because I believe that a coach will not talk to you or attempt to get the best out of you if he does not like you.
"He keeps asking me to donate more and more. But I believe you ought to ask him that question.
Since joining the Premier League winners in July for £79 million from Eintracht Frankfurt, Ekitike has undoubtedly shown himself to be a quick student in English football, scoring six goals in 15 games.
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But Slot received a public reprimand after receiving an unnecessary second yellow and then a red card for removing his shirt after winning the League Cup match against Southampton in September. This disqualified him from the Premier League loss at Crystal Palace three days later, which led to Liverpool's dismal run of six straight losses.
Ekitike said, when asked for instances of the Reds manager sending forceful messages: "Of course, keep my shirt on! Without the ball, it was more about work-rate, getting more involved, and working harder for the team—all of which I am attempting to do. It is primarily about working without the ball, but we will get there."
The £125 million British record signing's fitness issues have foiled attempts to form a strike combination with Alexander Isak, as the two have only started one match together, last month's 5-1 Champions League thumping at Eintracht Frankfurt.
According to Ekitike, "He is a good player, and I am not worried about excellent players because they progress over time and learn how to discover connections and interconnections."
"I do not doubt that we can all play together, not just him but every guy in the offensive line."
Isak, who resumed training on Friday, is probably going to be benched when Liverpool travels to title contender Manchester City on Sunday in an attempt to extend their winning streak at home against Aston Villa and Real Madrid.
Erling Haaland, who has scored an incredible 18 goals in 14 games across all competitions this season, will be the opponent.
Ekitike also responded, "One of those, I would say, certainly," when asked if the Norwegian is now the finest striker in the world. He has been among the top attackers in the world for a few years, and I am absolutely considering him.
"I would incorporate a small portion from this game into my own if I could. It is quite amazing how he can perform during the game without making many touches to the ball. I am definitely keeping an eye on him."
Ekitike has a lot of experience learning from others. He is in the same France squad as his close buddy Kylian Mbappe and Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele, and he was at Paris Saint-Germain when Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar were higher up the hierarchy.
Ekitike remarked, "I try to absorb stuff from the players I love." "I enjoy watching and aim to improve my skills to become more complete.
"What did Messi teach me? Perhaps his vision. I occasionally try to see things before I am given the ball. I learned several talents and tricks, including ball control, from Neymar. Kylian could run really well without the ball, so I took his runs. There are too many things to mention them all. However, I did take some things from their game.
After assisting Liverpool in defeating his Real Madrid team in the middle of the week, Ekitike spoke with Mbappe for twenty minutes.
The 23-year-old stated, "He is glad for me because now things are working out, because he saw me in a horrible position at PSG." "We can play together and see each other on the national team. For me, he has been like a big brother.
What was the issue at PSG? Simply put, I was not playing. In the end, it was challenging. He provided me guidance and was always kind to me.
After beginning his playing career with Reims, Ekitike made the unorthodox decision to spend six months on loan in Denmark with Velje Boldklub in 2021, which he feels changed him as a player.
He stated, "I would not say it is a strange decision, but it is not what you anticipate from a young player." "I chose to go to Denmark even though most people anticipated I would get to the second level in France.
"Obviously, it was challenging, but it was excellent. I gained a lot of knowledge from this league and received regular minutes. The men were strong. I gained self-assurance for my return to France.
Ekitike went on to say, "He is an idol for us French players, so I take the praise," after learning that Thierry Henry considers him the most exciting summer acquisition.
However, I do not want to be a noteworthy addition. I want to have a fantastic season and be a terrific player.
HARRY KANE GOAL SAVES BAYERN BLUSHES AS UNION HALTS RECORD STREAK
Bayern Munich's perfect start ended in a 2-2 draw at Union Berlin, despite Harry Kane's late equaliser, ending a 16-game winning run. League rivals Dortmund and Leipzig also dropped points, leaving Bayern six clear atop the Bundesliga table.
Harry Kane scored in stoppage time to grab Bayern Munich a 2-2 draw at Union Berlin on Saturday - Photo Credit: Getty Images
Danilho Doekhi, a Union defender, scored one goal after Luis Diaz's outstanding solo. Kane scored his 13th goal in 10 league games this season with his late equaliser.
Bayern leads the table by six points despite losing points, as Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig also made mistakes on Saturday.
Despite starting the season with a record of 16 from 16 across all competitions, Bayern were worn out after spending a large portion of Tuesday's 2-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain fighting with 10 men.
Kompany just made one alteration to Bayern's starting lineup on Saturday, and it was evident as the visitors were slow and had trouble producing much in the first half.
Union took the lead with 27 minutes remaining after Doekhi slipped the ball under Manuel Neuer from close range after their early goal was called out following a near-offside call.
Despite being pinned in their own zone, the reigning champions scored on one of their first attempts at goal, with Diaz miraculously conjuring an unlikely goal just before halftime.
After beating a defender on the turn and saving a ball on its way out, the Colombian attacker blasted in from a close angle.
With seven minutes left, Doekhi put Union ahead with a rebound that went through a packed penalty area and into the corner of the net.
However, Kane's goal in the 93rd minute kept Union undefeated this season and put them on course for their first-ever victory over Bayern.
In other news, Dortmund was held to a 1-1 draw at Hamburg as Ransford-Yeboah Koenigsdoerffer of the home team equalised in the seventh minute of extra time.
Despite having limited chances and losing 4-1 to Manchester City in the Champions League midweek, Dortmund played a strong but unimpressive game, with English midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka scoring in the second half.
At the last second, Koenigsdoerffer headed in a cross to keep Niko Kovac's team from moving up to second place and catching up to leaders Bayern, denying Dortmund the victory.
In a 3-1 loss at Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig faltered as well, losing points for just the third time this season.
For the third consecutive game, Leipzig took the lead nine minutes in thanks to a goal from teenage attacker Yan Diomande.
In the twentieth minute, Hoffenheim responded with a tap-in from Albian Hajdari. Tim Lemperle scored their second goal right before halftime, giving the home team the lead.
Grischa Proemel's goal with 11 minutes left ended Leipzig's chances of a late equaliser.
With a 6-0 thumping of Heidenheim at home, Bayer Leverkusen easily won its largest victory of the season and moved up to fourth place.
In addition to goals from Jonas Hofmann and Ernest Poko, Patrik Schick and Ibrahim Maza scored twice.
Later on Saturday, Borussia Moenchengladbach will host their derby opponents, Cologne.