Pep Guardiola defends Erling Haaland after Roy Keane's criticism

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has come to the defence of striker Erling Haaland following criticism from Roy Keane after their recent match against Arsenal.

Keane had commented on Haaland's "general play" being poor and compared him to a League Two player. However, Guardiola strongly disagreed with Keane's remarks, stating that he did not agree with him at all.

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He highlighted Haaland's impressive goal-scoring record, with 52 goals last season and 29 this season, including 18 in the Premier League. Guardiola even went on to describe Haaland as the best striker in the world.

Guardiola explained that the reason for Haaland's lack of impact in the match against Arsenal was due to the team needed more presence in the final third with additional players.

He praised Haaland's exceptional qualities and emphasized that the team's performance was overall exceptional, but they simply needed more support in the attacking third.

Guardiola also mentioned that various factors can contribute to missed opportunities or lack of success in football, including the actions of the player, the tactics of the manager, and the quality of the opponent.

Following Keane's criticism, former Premier League striker Chris Sutton defended Haaland, stating that he faced tough and talented defenders from Arsenal in the match. Sutton dismissed Keane's comments as "total nonsense" and unfair towards Haaland.