Haaland claps again ‘it’s not my job’ at critics assessing a part of his recreation
Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland has slapped back at criticism regarding his on-field duties beyond finding the back of the net.
The striker’s all-round performance, particularly during a recent spell of five matches without any goals for both club and country, came under heavy critique. He was benched by Pep Guardiola in last month’s 4-1 triumph over Aston Villa.
That came after talkSPORT’s Ally McCoist slammed his “bang average” build-up play and Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane likened his overall game to that of a League Two player in City’s goalless draw with Arsenal.
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Speaking to Men in Blazers, Haaland stressed that he has one primary focus for the team, reports the Mirror. “There’s always been this discussion on how many times I should touch the ball,” he said.
“When I score, no one thinks about this, and when I don’t score, suddenly people start to mention my touches. This is a part of my life, this is how people will speak.
“I cannot control what people say about me. I just have to focus on what I should do on the pitch, and my job is not to be like Rodri, to control the game.
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(Image: Getty Images)
“It’s being in the box and up front for City, finishing the attacks and that’s my focus. I don’t care about what people say or anything, it’s about focusing on helping the game, helping the team to win.”
Haaland further expressed that he can influence a match without purely having possession of the ball. And he doesn’t assess his game solely on the duration he spends with it at his feet throughout the 90 minutes.
He further elaborated: “In the end you can also play football with not touching the ball. It sounds funny for someone but you can actually do that with movement, and also the mental part, and also the awareness of being on the pitch is also a huge part of the game.
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“It’s not only about touching the ball, of course you have to touch the ball but I don’t know much more to say, I know my role in this team and that’s my focus.”
At present, Haaland is leading the race for the Golden Boot with 25 goals, four ahead of Cole Palmer following his spectacular performance against Wolves last week. City are set to travel to Fulham for the early Saturday kick-off, followed by a midweek trip to Tottenham, with hopes to secure a record-breaking fourth consecutive league title at home against West Ham on the final day.
