By Sam Cohen
Copyright skysports
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola believes Erling Haaland is producing the best football of his career, insisting the striker is performing “better than the treble season”.
Haaland’s first season at Man City in 2023 will go down as one of the great debut campaigns. He did not just lift the treble, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, but he also swept up almost every individual honour on offer.
The Norwegian walked away with the Premier League Golden Boot, the FWA Men’s Footballer of the Year award, both the Player and Young Player of the Season prizes, and a place in the Champions League Team of the Season.
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Haaland hit 52 goals in all competitions, more than any player has ever managed in a single season at a Premier League club, including a record-breaking 36 in the league.
City are off to a slow start this season and up next is a Premier League tie against second-place Arsenal, live on Sky Sports, but Haaland has began the year at a rapid pace.
He has scored five goals in his opening four league matches this season, and added another in the Champions League.
Pep: Haaland is incredible
Haaland netted twice when City beat Manchester United in last weekend’s derby and drew praise from Guardiola after his performance.
“Erling has been incredible. This season, he is better than ever,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.
“I would say it’s better than the treble season. Very dynamic. We want him to score goals and to help us.”
As it stands, Haaland is Manchester City’s leading goalscorer with five league goals, while Tijjani Reijnders, Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki are the only others to have scored with one each.
It is a similar story to previous times at City, with the Blues looking primarily to Haaland for their source of goals.
It signifies how important having a proper No 9 is, something their neighbours, United, at least for now, lack.
Neville: Haaland is the best centre-forward in the world
Speaking on the Gary Nevile podcast, ahead of City’s trip to the Emirates, Neville went further than Guardiola and described Haaland as “The best centre-forward in the world.”
“I won’t change my mind on that,” Neville added.
“Obviously, sometimes he doesn’t get involved in the game enough, and I actually said in the second half there were moments where, compared to Sergio Aguero – who was here for a number of years and is a completely different striker – you could see the contrast. Aguero was special, a different level of special.
“I always thought he could score 40 or even 45 goals in the Premier League; he was that good.”
Neville doubled down and insisted that Haaland could go up another level.
“He scores so many goals, but I always think he could do so much more: hold the ball up, ragdoll defenders, chase things down, defend in his own box, win headers – everything. He’s that good a player. And today was that performance.”
City team-mate Phil Foden also shared his stance on a “complete performance” from Haaland against Man Utd.
“He did everything,” Foden said. “Defending, attacking and the dirty work. A full shift from him.”
Pep: Haaland can break Ronaldo’s CL record
Adding to that sense of inevitability, Haaland wrote his name into the Champions League history books yet again this week.
The Norwegian added another record to his growing collection with the opening goal in City’s 2-0 win over Napoli at the Etihad, becoming the fastest player ever to reach 50 goals in the competition.
It is another staggering milestone for a forward who has set new standards season after season.
At 25 years old, Guardiola sees no reason why Haaland, who has already scored 12 goals in seven games for club and country this season, cannot go on to break Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League record of 141.
“In that rhythm, yes [he could break the record,]” the City manager said.
“If he’s not injured, he could play for 10-12 more years, and he maintains this progression, absolutely. What can I say? The numbers speak for themselves. We are lucky to have him. Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robert Lewandowski, the two monsters Cristiano and [Lionel] Messi, for Erling to be there is unbelievable.”
What stands out most for Haaland is his overall performance. What’s clear is this is a striker performing at his absolute peak, and, as Neville hinted, could even go up another level, something that will scare the rest of the clubs in the Premier League.
Pep: Haaland is maturing
Guardiola reflected on how Haaland has grown since his arrival in Manchester and why he believes the Norwegian is still improving.
“In aspects, yes. I think he’s more mature. I think he knows the club and us better,” Pep told Sky Sports.
“So the impact when he arrived and we won the treble was unbelievable. Every ball arrived there. Always came to Erling and put in the net.”
The City manager admitted the following season was more difficult, but feels his striker has made another leap forward this year.
“After the second season, it was a little bit tougher for him,” Pep said.
“Last season, the team had many injuries, and for many circumstances, we dropped in energy and desire and many things. This season, I think, we made an incredible step.”
Guardiola went on to praise Haaland’s development off the pitch as well, pointing to the importance of maturity and continuity. For the City boss, Haaland’s growth isn’t just about the numbers he puts up in a Manchester City shirt, but also about the wider journey he is on as a player.
That includes his international career, where Haaland is now the face of a Norway side pushing for their first appearance at a major tournament since Euro 2000. Guardiola admitted it would be a landmark moment for the striker, underlining just how far he has already come.
“I’m happy for him because Norway is close to playing in a big competition for the first time in many, many years,” Pep said.
Haaland may already be rewriting the record books, but Guardiola believes the best is still to come. At just 25, the Norwegian continues to grow both on and off the pitch. For Manchester City and for Norway, the journey is only just beginning.
