(Reuters) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has joked that he wants striker Erling Haaland to stop food and drink during the World Cup mid-season break and get back fit for lead the club’s trophy hunt in the second half of the season. .
Norway’s Haaland, who has scored 22 goals in 15 games in all competitions so far, will not travel to Qatar from November 20 to December 20. 18 tournament after his country failed to qualify.
“He will be in Marbella or in Norway. It depends on how he behaves in Marbella as to his quality for the second half of the season,” Guardiola told reporters on Monday. “He’ll play golf, hopefully he won’t eat and drink a lot and get back in shape.
“He’s so smart. Part of that is his work ethic. He’s one of the first to arrive and one of the last to leave. He takes excellent care of his body. He’s well educated in how he must live like a professional and he intends to improve.
“I didn’t know how well he moved in the small spaces in the box, he scores a lot in the box. He moves away from the action to get closer to the goal, those kind of moments are not easy for a striker.”
City face Haaland’s former club Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday, having qualified for the round of 16 and needing only a draw at the Westfalenstadion to secure top spot in the G group.
Guardiola’s side have clinched a place in the knockout stage with two games to go after picking up 10 points from four games, while Dortmund are in second place with seven points.
In the reverse game in Manchester, Haaland grabbed a late overhead winner as City came from behind to win 2-1 and Dortmund manager Edin Terzic praised the striker, who scored 86 goals in 89 appearances for the Bundesliga club.
“There are only positive and good emotions when you think of Erling,” Terzic told reporters. “He was not only a brilliant player, he was also a really fantastic person in the dressing room and on the training ground.
“I think it was good for him to be at Dortmund, it was also good for us to have him here. But now he’s a Manchester City player, he scores goals in a different shirt, and we have to stop it tomorrow.”