Pep Guardiola insisted Erling Haaland is the “best striker in the world” despite refusing to confirm if the misfiring Manchester City star will start Sunday’s crucial English Premier League (EPL) clash with Liverpool.
Haaland has scored just twice in his last 12 appearances, and Guardiola elected to drop him to the bench for City’s 3-1 win over Newcastle in the EFL semi-final second leg on Wednesday. He has suffered a significant loss of form after scoring 19 goals in 14 games in all competitions in a blistering start to the season that included become the fastest player to reach 100 EPL goals.
Haaland’s form, a concern
City have subsequently struggled during Haaland’s dip, falling six points behind league-leaders Arsenal. The Norwegian scored when City beat Liverpool 3-0 earlier this season, but Guardiola would not reveal if he will feature against Arne Slot’s side this weekend. “I don’t know until tomorrow. But all I say is Erling is the best. Erling is the best striker in the world,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.
Pep Guardiola
City have won just once at Liverpool since Guardiola’s arrival as manager in 2016, with that fixture in February 2021 played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guardiola was asked whether Anfield is the hardest fixture on the Premier League calendar. “Yep. Always a tough opponent and a difficult place and stadium, especially with the quality of the players and the managers. Yes, it’s been tough,” he said.
Guardiola coy about future
Guardiola side-stepped a question about his own future as speculation mounts that this will be his last season at City, saying: “I have one more year on my contract. It is the same answer I answered two months ago.” The Spaniard signed a two-year contract extension in November 2024 and the deal is due to expire in June 2027.
The 55-year-old also doubled down on his comments about the “hurt” he feels for victims of conflicts in Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan after Jewish community leaders told him to “focus on football”. “To be honest I didn’t say anything special. I think why should I not express how I feel just because I am a manager? So I do not agree but I respect absolutely all opinions,” he said.
OneNo. of times Man City have won vs Liverpool at Anfield since 2016 — in 2021
ZeroNo. of goals for Man City’s Erling Haaland in three appearances at Anfield
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