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Pep Guardiola has hit back at Roy Keane's scathing criticism of Erling Haaland after Manchester City's goalless draw against Arsenal on March 31.
The Cityzens were held to a drab 0-0 draw at the Etihad in the Premier League on Sunday. Haaland was well dealt with by Gunners defenders William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes. The Norwegian striker had just 23 touches in the entire game and missed a couple of good opportunities to score as well.
After the game, Manchester United legend Roy Keane slammed Erling Haaland, labelling his overall play as League Two standard, the third tier of English football. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, though, has slammed such criticism, saying (via Sky Sports):
"I do not agree with him, absolutely not. He's a manager for the second or third league? I don't think so.
"He's the best striker in the world and he helped us win what we won last season. The reason why we didn't create many chances [vs Arsenal] was not Erling, it's that we need more presence in the final third with more people."
Guardiola was surprised that such a criticism for Erling Haaland came from a former player, as he said:
"I'm surprised this came from a former player. From journalists, I can understand, never been on the pitch but former players is always a surprise. It's like the referees when they retire they criticise the referees.
"How difficult is that business for the players? It always surprises me. Their memory disappears quickly. The problems the players have, they had. They missed a thousand, million times and they were hurt when they were criticised by the former players."
Haaland has been excellent this season, having scored 29 goals and providing six assists in 35 games across competitions.
What did Roy Keane say about Erling Haaland after Manchester City vs Arsenal?
Erling Haaland has previously been criticised for his lack of impact outside of his goalscoring prowess, especially in terms of his link-up play. After Manchester City's goalless draw against Arsenal, such criticism grew further as Roy Keane said on Sky Sports:
"In front of goal he's the best in the world, but his general play for such a player - it is so poor. Not just today. He has to improve that.
"He's almost like a League Two player - that's the way I look at him. His general play has to improve. It will do over the next few years. [He's a] brilliant striker but he has to improve his overall game."
Erling Haaland joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022 and has contributed 81 goals and 15 assists in 88 games for them. He helped them win the treble last season, scoring 52 goals and providing nine assists in 53 games across competitions.
