Pep Guardiola Acknowledges Wolves’ Success in Restricting Erling Haaland

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that Wolves effectively neutralized Erling Haaland during their recent match. Following City’s surprising 2-1 defeat at Molineux Stadium, Guardiola shared his perspective on the £51 million man’s performance.

Despite being described as “amazing” by midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, it was evident that Wolves had a specific plan in place to contain the Norwegian superstar, widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world. Haaland, however, struggled to make a significant impact and had few opportunities in front of goal, as the hosts capitalized on City’s defensive vulnerabilities on the counter-attack.

Guardiola acknowledged the challenge Haaland faced, stating, “It is not easy when he has three players. There are a lot of players there, it’s not easy but it happened.”

However, Guardiola also emphasized that Haaland should not shoulder the blame for the loss. He pointed out that City’s attack was somewhat one-dimensional, relying heavily on wide play, particularly through Jeremy Doku, who struggled to create opportunities for Haaland. The team’s overall offensive performance was lackluster, and Haaland found himself in a relatively passive role as City failed to pose a significant threat in the final third.