After watching Erling Haaland of Manchester City score in a 2-0 victory over Chelsea, Pep Guardiola made comparisons between the striker and Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Consequently, what happened?
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Manchester City seized the lead at Stamford Bridge thanks to Haaland’s deft movement under duress and merciless finishing as he dinked the ball past Robert Sanchez from close range. This was despite the fact that Manchester City did not enjoy their customary domination in the first half. For the eight-time Premier League champions, the Norwegian has already scored 91 goals across all competitions, and Guardiola thinks Haaland is now on par with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of scoring output.

GUARDIOLA’S MENTION

“He has the numbers for Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who controlled the last decade, 15 years, absolutely everything,” Guardiola stated in a statement to the media following the 2-0 victory over Chelsea. It is that level in numerical terms. I don’t know how he does it, but scoring 91 goals in 100 games is an incredible feat in this country’s Premier League.”

“I had a feeling that he feels better than last season at this point,” the City manager continued. He felt a little’mmm-mmm’ [so-so] or fatigued from his travels the previous season. This season, I believe Norway was sadly absent from the Euros; he had more rest, and yes, he is in good health.

“It was a fantastic goal. His impact is multifaceted. He was given two or three opportunities, but I always felt that he could still do better as a football player.”

THE LARGER IMAGE

Haaland has been the Premier League Golden Boot winner for the past two seasons. However, in spite of his incredible stats since joining Manchester City in 2022, he has consistently been criticised for his lack of participation in team play. Guardiola has acknowledged this shortcoming, and Haaland has stated that he would continue to strive for improvement in all areas beyond goal scoring.

FUTURE PLANS FOR HAALAND?

On Saturday, August 24, Manchester City will host their first Premier League home game against Ipswich Town, who have just been promoted. The team will be looking to make it two wins out of two.