“There’s no central defender who can stop him, not even with a gun” – Guardiola lauds Erling Haaland after successive hat-tricks

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola feels no central defender can stop talismanic striker Erling Haaland, even with a gun. Haaland has got off to a sumptuous start in the Premier League, scoring his second consecutive hat-trick.

The Norwegian forward netted thrice against West Ham in his team’s 3-1 win at the London Stadium on Saturday. Last weekend, the lanky striker had scored his 10th hat-trick for the Cityzens in a 4-1 win against Ipswich Town.

Guardiola said, “Erling Haaland, he’s just unstoppable. There is no central defender who can stop him, not even with a gun. It’s impossible; he’s so powerful!”.

The veteran Spaniard manager continued to shower praise on Haaland for his consistent performances for the club.

“No words for him. All we can do is make him play better and better and give him as many balls as possible to the box. It’s what we have to do.”

“He scored three goals today, but he didn’t lose one ball. Today is one of the games where he has played the best in all situations. When you see the games and see what we want to do, he understands because he is a smart guy.”

Haaland has been ticking the right boxes and his numbers since he joined the Sky Blues have been incredible. The striker scored 27 goals and assisted five more in 31 matches of the previous season and thus played a key role in taking the team to glory. The lanky forward scored 36 goals and provided eight assists in 35 matches of the 2022-23 season. 

Furthermore, he scored 12 goals in 11 matches of the UEFA Champions League 2022-23 and helped City win their maiden title. Overall Haaland has scored 91 goals in 100 matches for the Cityzens.

Manchester City will next take on Brentford at the Etihad Stadium on 14th September.