Haaland’s ability to ‘forget’ misses makes him great – Pep،
Pep Guardiola said Erling Haaland's ability to miss chances and “forget in an instant” is what defines him as a great player after the striker scored in Manchester City's 3-1 win over Manchester United after a series of wasted chances.
Two earlier goals from Phil Foden allowed City to cancel out Marcus Rashford's superb opener for United and seal a crucial victory at the Etihad ahead of next Sunday's clash with Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield.
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Before Foden's contribution, Haaland had missed easy chances to equalize for City, including when he volleyed over the crossbar in the face of an open goal in the first half.
Haaland, who leads the race for the Premier League Golden Boot with 18 goals so far this season, missed several chances in the recent home draw against Chelsea before scoring five in the Premier League victory. FA Cup at Luton Town midweek.
And after scoring late in the match against United following his earlier misses, Guardiola said Haaland was simply proving his incredible scoring ability by being able to ignore his misses.
“The great, great players I have met, I have had the chance to manage many of them, they forget [missed chances] in an instant,” Guardiola said. “They forget as quickly as possible.
The football players, the basketball players. They miss them. They smile and carry on and it [Haaland] did it. He has an incredible ability to forget. This defines great players. »
Foden's double goal, after scoring a hat-trick against United at the Etihad last season, continued his form against neighbors City.
And Guardiola said the 23-year-old is now showing himself to be the best player in the Premier League.
“What can I say? He's the best player in the Premier League right now for the amount he does. Unbelievable,” Guardiola said. “He is currently the best so far.
“I always had the feeling he would score goals, but now he's winning games. He's a world-class player. He lives for football, but now he's winning games.
“He played a false nine at Bournemouth and now today. Rashford scored an incredible goal, but Foden was incredible too.
“It's the number of games he plays. He has always been a talented player, but he is more mature and understands the game better, especially defensively. He can play in the middle, on the right, create moments and cut to inside, play on the left., scoring from the left.”
City face Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday, trailing Jurgen Klopp's side by a point at the top of the table, while third-placed Arsenal can move to within a point of City by beating bottom club Sheffield United at Bramall Lane Monday.
But with the title race so close, Guardiola said it was up to City to decide how and where they end up this season.
“It’s about us,” he said. “We can't control what Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa or other contenders do, it's about us. We do what we have to do to win today, next Wednesday and Sunday. This team is legendary .
“Will we do it? I don't know. We have more points today at this stage than last season.
“The difference is that Liverpool have I don't know how many more points than at this stage last season. When the opponent behaves like that, what can I say, congratulations so far. We will continue to try match by match.”
