Pep Guardiola hits back at Roy Keane’s recent criticism of Manchester City ace



Pep Guardiola has hit back at Roy Keane’s criticism of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland after a recent 0-0 draw against Arsenal.

The former Manchester United midfielder, Roy Keane, shared his critique of Haaland’s performance and likened his “general play” to that of a League Two player following the 0-0 draw between Manchester City and Arsenal.

Haaland managed just 23 touches in that game and was completely marked out of the game by Arsenal defenders William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.

Pep Guardiola hits back at Roy Keane over criticism of Haaland

However, the Man City coach Pep Guardiola disagreed with the criticism. Guardiola asserted that Haaland wasn’t responsible for his limited goal-scoring opportunities against Arsenal, countering Keane’s assessment.

“It’s like [if] I said 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 to win what we won last season and the reason why we don’t create many chances [against Arsenal] is not from Erling,” he told ESPN.

“We need more presence in the final third with more people and we played an exceptional game against Arsenal. I reviewed it.”

Despite Keane’s heavy criticism, Haaland’s remarkable record of 52 goals in 53 games during City’s treble-winning season and 29 goals in 35 games this term speaks volumes.

Arsenal’s Brazilian defender #06 Gabriel Magalhaes (L) fights for the ball with Manchester City’s Norwegian striker #09 Erling Haaland during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on March 31, 2024. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP)

Guardiola surprised at Roy Keane’s recent comments

Guardiola expressed surprise at Keane’s critique, implying that former players should understand better before passing judgment.

“From journalism I can understand because they have never been on the pitch, but the former players always I am surprised.”

The criticism was quite over the top from the Sky Sports pundit, but the Norwegian international is probably now becoming a victim of his own success. His outstanding ability in front of goal makes it a surprise and a disappointment when he doesn’t score.

With the recent goalless draw to Arsenal, Manchester City are three points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool with only nine games to play.