- Haaland joined Man City in 2022
- Opened up on Guardiola's message before he signed
- Revealed Guardiola's obsession with perfection
WHAT HAPPENED? The Norwegian striker joined the Premier League outfit from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022 for £51m ($63m). Since then he has broken several records and ended up scoring 52 goals in the previous season across all competitions in the process of guiding The Cityzens to a historic treble.
Behind his phenomenal success, Guardiola plays a significant role as his manager expects him to give his best in every training session and even threatened in jest that he will "smash" the player if he is not focused.
WHAT THEY SAID: "There is so much! He demands a lot in training,” Haaland told The Telegraph.
"When I spoke with him before I signed here he said ‘I don’t care what you do, do whatever you want. But when you have me on the (training) pitch you have to be focused. If not, I will smash you!’”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Haaland believes that City's secret to overwhelming success, since Guardiola took over, is the team's two-pronged approach to life while they are on and off the pitch.
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"That’s really how he is and City are as a team and as a club. It’s why they have been so successful," Haaland stated.
"The pressure is there. Look at the pressure we have every single day as a club, as a team, as individuals. But you must focus the one hour we have in training every day and the rest of the day relax, don’t think of football, don’t think of anything.
"I think that’s a big part of why it’s so successful here with all the staff. After training – don’t think of football anymore. You think and you develop on the pitch. When you are on the pitch – you focus. That is what Pep demands," he added.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT? After a shock defeat to Wolves in their last Premier League outing, City are set to take on Mikel Arteta's Arsenal in a blockbuster clash on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium.
