Pep Guardiola has said he would like to see better body language from the Norwegian striker and it appears to have paid off.
Before Manchester City entered the round of 16 with the goal of defending the Champions League title, Pep Guardiola told Erling Haaland that he wanted to see better body language from him in case he could not find the net. .
“Haaland must know that if he doesn’t score, he also needs to show the right body language. He must be in a positive mood to look for opportunities in the next match,” Guardiola said. After 4 matches and 71 minutes without scoring, the 23-year-old striker finally scored a double against Everton last weekend.
“Body language is everything in life,” Guardiola asserted. Meanwhile, Haaland continued to show progress in this regard in the confrontation with Copenhagen in the first leg of the 1/8 round of the Champions League through the following indicators, according to Telegraph Sport.
Last season, Haaland tended not to exert too much effort before the match started. He often jogs out in a relaxed manner and makes a few passes to his teammates. Guardiola wants his main striker to relax, even when he doesn’t score.
The Norwegian star’s body language resembles a job rather than a normal fun activity. Man City’s players formed a circle and made a few one-touch passes, before puffing out their chests and hugging their teammates and returning to the tunnel.
Kevin De Bruyne is a top passer, but in this match he was pushed away from Haaland. Lacking the ball from the Belgian star, the Norwegian striker is very hungry for the ball. However, he still happily clapped to show support for his teammates.
After all, this was exactly the type of match Pep Guardiola wanted when it came to better body language from his main striker. During his time on the field, Haaland had very few opportunities, but he still showed a positive attitude and patience.
It’s not his style to start the match with a smile on his face, but there wasn’t much negativity, even when he headed wide and hit the crossbar. Even though he missed big opportunities, Haaland still happily celebrated Phil Foden’s goal immediately afterward.