Man City manager Pep Guardiola is furious at Roy Keane for calling Erling Haaland a 'League Two player' for his horrible performance in the 0-0 draw against Arsenal recently.
Responding to Keane's criticism, Pep stated: "I am not agreeing with him. Absolutely not. It’s like [if] I said he’s [Keane] a manager for the second or third league.
"I don’t think so. He’s the best striker in the world and he helped us to win what we won last season and the reason why we don’t create many chances is not due to Erling.
"We need more presence in the final third with more people and we played an exceptional game against Arsenal. I reviewed it. We just missed more people in the final third, maybe for the quality and different skills we have, but Erling is exceptional."
Pep also took further digs at the ex-Man United captain for the kind of criticism he levies at players despite being an ex-pro himself. He added: "I am surprised it’s come from former players. From journalists, I can understand, because they have never been on the pitch but the former players? Always I am surprised.
"It’s like the referees, when they retire they always criticise the referees. How difficult is that business for the players? That always surprises me. The memory disappears quick. The problems that the players have [now], they [the pundits] had. The lack of those actions, they missed it a thousand million times and they were hurt when they were criticised by the former players."
Well, Guardiola appears to be agitated by Keane pointing at the vulnerabilities in Haaland's game after he was completely shut down in the Arsenal game.
Moreover, Roy's main complaint about the striker was his low involvement in Man City's attacking moves, which is vindicated with stats showing that he averages under 22 touches per game in the Premier League. Perhaps rather than trying to pick on the ex-Man United star, Pep should ensure that his striker improves that aspect of his game.
