Pep Guardiola believes that Erling Haaland has overcome his physical problems and is back to his best goal.
After a record-breaking debut season in England, Haaland’s numbers dipped slightly in 2023/24, scoring a comparatively disappointing 38 goals in 45 games.
This season, however, he is once again tormenting England defenses with nine goals in his first four games, including two hat-tricks, and Guardiola believes Haaland’s fitness is behind his renewed form.
“The difference compared to last season is that he feels that his body, the discomfort, the fatigue is better,” Guardiola said.
“He came from Dortmund with a lot of problems, muscle problems in the first month, and he struggled a bit. At the moment (this season) he feels ‘I’m clean, I’m good here and no problems’.
“I don’t expect him to score two or three goals in every game, it’s not a problem because I know the quality is there, but the difference to last season is that it feels good, no problems. When the players have that feeling, they can the best possible.”
Haaland arrived from Borussia Dortmund with a reputation as one of Europe’s premier strikers, but Guardiola admitted he was even surprised to see the 24-year-old reach his current heights.
“A bit (surprised), yes,” Guardiola said. “You know what, I played 11 years as a professional (at Barcelona) and scored 11 goals. This guy scored nine goals in four games. He can match me in one more game! So I was surprised!”
