Revealed: One thing Man City boss Guardiola doesn't like about hat-trick man Haaland
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola offers an intriguing analysis of Erling Haaland, hours after the Norwegian scored his third hat-trick for the Premier League champions in eight games.
FollowManchester City's sensational striker Erling Haaland has blown the football world with his skill and talent. On Sunday, the Norwegian scored his third hat-trick for the Premier League champions against Manchester United at Etihad and helped the hosts register an emphatic 6-3 win. His teammate Phil Foden too joined the party by scoring a hat-trick of his own, making Pep Guardiola's men a team to watch out for in the ongoing campaign.
One would assume Haaland's performance would have impressed City boss Guardiola. However, the Spaniard chose to provide an intriguing analysis of his 22-year-old striker and revealed one quality he doesn't like about the young sensation.
"What I like in the last period of the game is he is involved. He said, 'I prefer to touch the ball five times and score five goals'. I don't like that. I want him to touch the ball more and more," Guardiola revealed.
"He became a football player to score goals. I like that he's part more for the situations, but don't forget his biggest talent is to put the ball in the net," the Man City boss added.
While Haaland's show on Sunday was a 10/10 performance for most people, the focus point of the Norway international's brilliant performance is the record he smashed.
The former Borussia Dortmund star's third treble in eight matches for the reigning Premier League champions makes him the fastest to reach the feat. The previous record, held by Liverpool striker Michael Owen, was 48 games. Additionally, he recorded his third straight hat-trick in home games, a feat that will require some significant scoring to top.
Haaland also tied the record of Manchester United icon Cristiano Ronaldo, who helplessly watched the Norway international put on a show from the bench, with three Premier League hat-tricks. The 22-year-old has scored three hat-tricks from just eight games in his debut season, while the Portuguese legend scored as many hat-tricks from 232 games.
