Exceptional since the start of the season, Erling Haaland finds the C1 this Wednesday evening, in Leipzig (9 p.m.). First step on the way to the title?
Pep Guardiola knows that with him, 2023 could be the right year. Since taking office in 2016, disappointments have accumulated for the Catalan coach in the Champions League. So close and yet so far away, Manchester City have always missed details to lift the trophy. Despite the doubts that surrounded him upon his arrival, Erling Haaland (32 TCC goals) has already shown that he can be the solution to all problems. For the Norwegian, the real test begins this Wednesday in Leipzig (9 p.m.) in the round of 16 first leg of C1.
Signing the cyborg from Dortmund last summer, Guardiola knew what to expect. But witnessing the sensational start to the season of his new protege, the Cityzens coach was still surprised: “The numbers speak for themselves. We always try to help him out and I have this incredible feeling that he always looks hungry and is so competitive. Honestly the numbers are scary“, he confided in October. Impressive statistics that he will now have to confirm in Europe.
A team that plays for him
Scary until the World Cup break, his pace has dropped slightly in recent weeks. Enough to wake up the critics of his detractors, who blame him for his lack of contribution to the game. If Pep Guardiola admits that he misses him “this little extra in the rhythm he had at the start of the season“, he remains convinced that at the conclusion of the excellent collective work of the Cityzens, it is the Norwegian who will make the difference.
The reverse would be surprising as the Spanish coach has shaken up his tactics for his new player. By recruiting a pure number 9, City lost a player in creation to place an important asset in the box. Admittedly, Halaand takes little part in the game, but when the players around him are called De Bruyne (forfeited in Germany), Gündogan, Mahrez or Grealish, is it really important? His mission is to score goals and he does it well. For the moment Guardiola succeeded in his challenge: this team lacked a killer, he managed to integrate it perfectly.
Erling Haaland is advancing at a record pace in his first English season. PHIL NOBLE / REUTERS
The Champions League, “its competition”
Once again among the favorites for the final victory, Manchester City has a new ace up its sleeve. Especially since Erling Haaland has a special connection with the Cup with big ears. With 28 goals in 23 games, he scores every 61 minutes in the Champions League! Needless to say, no one does better than him, not even Monsieur C1, Cristiano Ronaldo, during his time at Real Madrid (1 goal/85 minutes). Impressive.
«When I wake up every morning I listen to this song [l’hymne de la Ligue des champions]. It’s my favorite competition and I’ve always loved it“says Haaland. Nevertheless, the love story between the cyborg and the C1 has been cut short every year since the start of his career. Erling Haaland never made it past the round of 16 when he played for Dortmund. But without wanting to disrespect the Ruhr club, he now has a team to match his ambitions, to go further.
Absent from the 2022 World Cup with Norway, Erling Halaand was chomping at the bit during the month of December: “Watching other people score at the World Cup triggered something in me, motivated me and irritated me. I’m hungrier than ever“, assured the Norwegian at the end of December. Since this declaration, it is City fans who remain unsatisfied, given the standards of its start to the season. So, finish the words and place the actions tonight.
