Pep Guardiola has clarified why he refrains from criticizing top strikers, following Erling Haaland’s performance in Manchester City’s win against Brentford.
Haaland redeemed himself after a disappointing display against Chelsea by scoring the winning goal in a tough match against Thomas Frank’s team. Guardiola shared a piece of advice he received from a journalist and expressed his reluctance to critique football as a career.
“When I was young, I was not a journalist, but an old friend said to me ‘top scorers strikers score a lot of goals, don’t criticise, he will shut your mouth,'” Guardiola told a press conference.
Guardiola mentioned that Haaland had been struggling with the passing of his grandmother. He also acknowledged that there was no other player he would prefer to have a scoring opportunity than Haaland, even though he had missed some clear chances recently.
“Sooner or later he is there. He was out for two months, he lost his grandmother, it is not easy for a human being,” the City boss added. “If I have to choose one player [to get a chance] I would choose this one.”
asked why he never pursued a career in journalism during a press conference, Guardiola said: “I am a manager. My life is better than yours. But nothing personal with you.”
The champions climbed to second place in the Premier League after their victory, now trailing leaders Liverpool by just one point.
Jurgen Klopp’s team has the opportunity to widen their lead when they play Luton at home on Wednesday. However, City could close the gap by winning against Bournemouth on Saturday.
