Imagine being criticized despite being the top scorer in the Premier League for two consecutive seasons. The recent comments over Erling Haaland‘s performance have been hard to digest for Manchester City fans as the striker continues to lead the attack from the front. Haaland bagged the Golden Boot with 27 goals to his name. However, many fans and experts are unimpressed with his exploits, with many claiming the Norwegian needs to work on his game off the field.

While the striker usually pays no attention to such comments, his teammates won’t take it for granted. Manchester City star Jack Grealish has built a solid friendship with the player following his move to the Etihad. The Englishman defended Erling Haaland during his appearance on TalkSport, with the winger claiming the Norwegian is one of the best he’s ever played with in his career.

Grealish stated, “Yeah, definitely. I have said so many times before, man. He is just unbelievable. He’s just the killer, you know, and this season he scored what 27 goals in the league. It’s as if like he’s not good, you know what I mean. He’s unbelievable, he’s just there in the box, and he’s a brilliant guy. I don’t think I have seen anyone have the same work ethic. I have never seen anything like him.”

The Englishman isn’t the only Manchester City personnel to defend Erling Haaland amidst the recent criticisms. Sky Blues boss Pep Guardiola spoke against the criticism over the striker earlier this year, claiming the team’s lack of created chances should not fall on the Norwegian.

Pep Guardiola blasts Erling Haaland’s critics

After his early rough patch, the Spaniard jumped to Haaland’s defense earlier this year. Pep Guardiola claimed the criticism against his striker was invalid and that the player doesn’t need him to improve his goal-scoring potential. The Manchester City boss stated, “He’s the best striker in the world and he helped us to win what we won last season. Erling is exceptional. The reason we don’t create chances is not because of Erling. The standards that Erling has are unbelievable, and everyone expects other things.” 

Pep added, “We needed more presence in the box. If we had that Erling would have more space. It happens sometimes. If you want to score goals, bring a lot of players to the opponent’s keeper. It is as simple as that.”

Guardiola’s comments are a fair assessment of Haaland’s role in the team. The player does not need to become a complete playmaker. He is a natural striker who has a killer instinct for finding goals. Manchester City has players like Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Phil Foden, who can supply the striker with the ball without worrying about his positioning. While there is no doubt Haaland could improve some aspects of his game, claiming he is affecting Manchester City’s attacking potential is just blasphemy!