Barely has the new season begun and Norwegian goalscoring ace Erling Haaland has already bagged seven goals and two hat-tricks within three games.
Striking while the iron is hot, Pep Guardiola has instructed his Manchester City players to feed Erling Haaland more to further capitalise on their perfect start to the season.
Haaland scored another three goals at the London Stadium to take his tally to seven in the opening three matches in a devastating display of finishing. The 24-year-old was apparently goal-famished for much of the second half, and all it took was one precise pass from Matheus Nunes to open him up to make the game safe after West Ham had threatened to equalise.
Guardiola is obviously pleased as Punch with the Norwegian’s performances and fitness, what more with the striker staying for half an hour after training sessions this season to work on his finishing and his first touch. However, opposition defenders should feel the fear course down their spines that the City boss is confident his star goalscorer can perform even better as the season progresses.
“He’s playing much better in everything,” he said. “The details. He stays 20 minutes or half an hour after training sessions with shots, first controls and through to the keeper. Last season not even once was he there because he didn’t feel good – he was tired, he had niggles for most of the season.
“At the end he’s so smart [and] he needs the team to give him more balls in the final third. With Rico [Lewis], Kevin [De Bruyne], [Ilkay] Gundo[gan], [James] McAtee, we’re going to create those situations because they move really well in small spaces.
“The last goal or the first goal where Bernardo passed him the ball with space behind, he’s unstoppable. There’s no central defender [who can do it], not even with a gun. It’s impossible, he’s so powerful.
“In small spaces that happens quite often against us, we need players with good crosses, we are still not so clever. Jeremy arrives in the final third and we are not precise enough.
“In small spaces when we create and we improve in that department, he will be able to have more chances. After that, we know how clinical he is. Everybody knows it.”
They sure do, Pep!