“Everyone should look at his numbers at his age. In the Champions League, even Messi or Ronaldo don’t have these numbers at his age,” coach Pep Guardiola praised his student. love Erling Haaland before the Champions League round 1/8 match between Man City and Copenhagen tomorrow morning (3 a.m. February 14).

Erling Haaland scored 52 goals in 53 appearances in his first season with Man City and broke countless records.

However, this season the Norwegian striker is showing signs of slowing down, scoring only 21 goals so far. The 23-year-old striker has been experiencing a drought of goals since November 25, 2023 and had to wait until the match against Everton on February 10 to “fire” again with a double goal to help Man City defeat. opponent 2-0.

However, coach Pep Guardiola affirmed that he was never worried about Haaland not scoring.

“If he doesn’t score tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or next week, it’s not a big problem. He’s very strong. It’s an innate ability. Haaland copes perfectly with every situation because he very strong mentally.

If he scores one goal, he will want a second and third goal”, coach Pep Guardiola praised the Norwegian striker.

According to statistics, with 140 goals and 129 strikes in the Champions League, Ronaldo and Messi are considered a very far distance ahead of Haaland, who currently only scores 40 goals in Europe’s best tournament.

But at 23, Haaland has plenty of time and solid numbers that suggest he can surpass iconic players.

Before turning 24 in June 2011, Messi was 3 goals behind Haaland with 37 goals in this tournament, while Ronaldo only had 16 goals in the Champions League at the end of the 2008/09 season when he turned 10. 24.

Haaland’s 24th birthday will be in July this year, so if Man City progresses to a second consecutive Champions League final it will be a great opportunity for him to improve on his incredible record in the Champions League. The best arena in Europe.

“Erling is young, playing in the most difficult position on the field, accompanied by 4 or 5 players with little space,” coach Pep Guardiola added.

“In phase one, perhaps we didn’t have special passers, like Kevin De Bruyne, who could find Erling everywhere. In that phase, he was still positive. He is willing not to need personal goals but wants to help the team with more things.

He clearly defines his goal but it’s not just about scoring a goal. That’s also the way he claps his hands, encourages his teammates and is ready to protect his teammates against opponents. That’s what we need in Erling.

But we need to remember that he was out of action for two months due to injury, which is too long for such a tall guy. Coming back from injury is not easy.

If you don’t score today, that’s okay. In that process, he must try his best because the team always wins when it overcomes bad moments”, the Spanish strategist affirmed.