Pep Guardiola names Erling Haaland as 'special striker'
May 04, 2023
Manchester [United Kingdom], May 4 : Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola branded Erling Haaland as a 'special striker' after he became the record goalscorer with 35 goals in the history of the Premier League.
The Blues registered a dominant victory against West Ham United with a 3-0 victory and Haaland featured on the scoresheet by scoring City's second goal of the night. After breaking the record Haaland recieved a guard of honour from his teammates gave him a 'Guard of Honour'.
"He deserved it (the guard of honour). Erling is a special striker. Yes, we are very pleased for him. He's a joy to work with and to be with him," Pep Guardiola said after the match as quoted by Manchester City.
"Everyone is happy to have him with us. This record will be broken again. Maybe by him in the future or by another one. But he will score a lot of goals. When there is a special occasion, we have to show how special it is. He has beaten incredible top strikers - Shearer and Cole. It's special," Pep continued.
Haaland opened his account in the Premier League against West Ham United and he ended up breaking the record against the same team. The key reason for Haaland's incredible goal-scoring form has been his ability to find the back of the net by being present at the right place and at the right time.
"When you provide him with chances, he scores in all situations. Penalties. Crosses. Combinations. Transitions. He can do many, many things. That's why he scored a lot of goals."
After the game, Erling Haaland expressed the moment of becoming the highest goal scorer in the single season of the Premier League as 'unreal'.
"It's a big moment for me and I don't know what to say, it's a bit unreal and I'm really happy. I'm really proud and happy. I have to thank my teammates and all the staff for making it possible. It was an amazing feeling," Haaland said after the match.
"It was a nice moment [guard of honour]. It was really nice. I'm enjoying it every single game. It's hard [playing for Guardiola], he demands a lot. I try to do my best and develop. It's a pleasure and I love to play under Pep and I'm really happy to have him as a coach," Haaland concluded.