Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has defended Erling Haaland’s ‘stay humble’ jib at Arsenal as the two sides prepare to butt heads yet again.
Pep Guardiola strongly defended Erling Haaland during his press conference on Friday ahead of Manchester City’s renewed rivalry with Arsenal.
Arsenal and Manchester City faced off against each other earlier this season as the Gunners looked certain to give the defending Premier League champions their first defeat of the campaign. However, John Stones’ 98th-minute header gave City a 2-2 draw and Haaland then threw the ball at Gabriel Magalhaes’ head during the celebrations.
Following the full-time whistle, Haaland then approached Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and told the Spaniard to ‘stay humble’. Manchester City’s season has been going wrong as they sit fourth in the Premier League standings, however, Guardiola continues to back the Norwegian forward, suggesting that Gabriel’s style of defending contributed to Haaland’s outburst.
What Guardiola said
Speaking to the media, Guardiola said:
“I am surprised how Erling can control his emotions because with every action he’s pulled and he’s pulled – and the referee is always ‘play on, play on.’
“How many times does it happen? And he never complains. He controls himself. So talking of a reaction in one game is not real. He behaves incredibly well. Erling stands up. He knows it’s going to happen because the Premier League is that way. You have to stand up and continue, continue, continue and defend your position.
“It’s always what he has done. So, for one game, am I going to adjudicate on what he’s done? Come on, I don’t buy it. I’m not saying dark arts. I never used that word. Everyone can do whatever they want but the referee has to intervene when it’s not fair. That’s why he’s the referee.
“For Erling it’s not easy. Arsenal is a physical team, in a good way, in many aspects. “For 90 minutes, the central defender, Gabriel, pushed him, hacked him, hugged him and kissed him. The Premier League is that way. “You have to stand up and defend your position. And now I am being asked to adjudicate on what Erling has done? I don’t buy it. “The end of the game was so emotional. In the end, a human being has to react.”
Guardiola refused to criticise Arteta, the man who spent three-and-a-half years as the City manager’s assistant before becoming Gunners’ boss. But he did suggest that his players deserve credit for playing the game the right way.
Mikel Arteta unfazed by Erling Haaland’s ‘stay humble’ jibe
Mikel Arteta has said he doesn’t take Erling Haaland’s “stay humble” remark personally and insisted he still has a positive relationship with Guardiola, despite the growing rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester City.
Asked to reflect on what Haaland said at the time, Arteta said on Friday: “I don’t take anything personally. What happens on the pitch for me and since I’ve been a player stays there. It is full of emotions and things there. I just leave it aside and move on.”
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