Pep Guardiola emphasized that Manchester City must manage Erling Haaland carefully, even if it means playing with less certainty.
Shortly after securing a calm finish following a rounding of the goalkeeper in City’s Champions League win over Slovan Bratislava, Haaland had an extended conversation with Guardiola as they left the field together.
Although Guardiola would prefer to keep Haaland on the pitch for the entire match, he must account for the demanding schedule.
After a physical encounter at St. James’ Park over the weekend, Haaland decided it was enough in Slovakia.
“I would keep him playing all the time, but we have to protect him. With a 0-3 lead, the game was essentially over.
He took a heavy knock in the last match against Newcastle, and things got better after Rico’s brilliant pass set up the third goal.”
In the Champions League, McAtee added to City’s goal tally with his first goal as a substitute, making it 4-0. Guardiola expressed his satisfaction with the win but said he wasn’t overly concerned about goal difference, as he was unaware of the specific qualification rules.
“I don’t think about that,” he said. “But someone mentioned it to me. Winning games will be enough. With three tough away games ahead, we need to accumulate points, and today’s win is the first step in moving up the table.”
