City are on the verge of a second consecutive treble but Haaland still faces criticism as Real Madrid visit the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday seeking to avenge last season’s Champions League exit. Eleven months ago, the 14-time European champions beat Manchester City 4-0 in the semi-finals as City won the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup for the first time. Even if the prolific Norwegian doesn’t match last season’s form, Pep Guardiola’s side are 12 games away from repeating this remarkable feat.
Haaland’s 31 goals in 38 games this season is still impressive, but he has failed to score in City’s three games against Real Madrid in the past year and has failed to score in his last 20 games for club and country. He failed to score a goal in 13 games.
The 23-year-old has also been criticized for not delivering anything other than goals.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has branded Haaland the “ultimate luxury player” who is yet to become “world class”.
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane, who was sent off in a Manchester derby over a premeditated attack on Haaland’s father Alf-Inge during a long-running feud, even went a step further and claimed the Manchester City striker’s defensive moves were similar A player in the second tier of England’s fourth tier.
Haaland’s first leg at the Bernabeu last week ended 3-3, failing to score for the second year in a row, and the Spanish media were equally scathing.
Madrid sports daily Marca described his performance as “incompetent”, while AS said he was “clumsy and desperate” in his attempt to beat Antonio Rudiger.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti will not repeat the mistake he made last season of dropping Rudiger in the second leg after silencing Haaland at the Bernabeu.
Guardiola supports
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been protective of his star striker, pointing to his record and the team’s collective success during Haaland’s two seasons at the club.
The English champions have already lifted the European Super Cup and Club World Cup this season, with more trophies likely to follow.
City lead the Premier League by two points with six games remaining and will face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday.
However, it was by helping to retain the Champions League that Haaland could make a statement on a global scale and move further towards the Ballon d’Or – the annual award given to the world’s best player.
“The goal was not the Ballon d’Or, the goal was to win trophies and he did that. Without him, would we have won five trophies last year? No chance,” Guardiola said when asked about Haaland’s critics .
Guardiola also believes the striker’s presence does have a significant impact on Madrid, as Phil Foden and Josco Gvaldiol gain space on the edge of the box to play as the Real defense track down Haaland Amazing goal.
Guardiola added: “He helps us create more space in the penalty area and his contribution has been outstanding since joining last season.”
“(He) helped us score some goals and created a lot of space for other people to score goals. I saw it on his face, in what he said in the dressing room after the game, that he was so happy (in Madrid).
City’s results in the Spanish capital haven’t been as spectacular as they were in the away goals era, but they are now favorites to reach a fourth consecutive semi-final thanks to a horrific record at home.
The defending champions are unbeaten in 30 Champions League games at the Etihad Stadium since 2018 and 41 games unbeaten at home in all competitions since November 2022.
“There’s not a minute that goes by that we don’t do what we have to do,” Guardiola said. “Be a humble, united team and attack them hard. We believe we can do it.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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