Erling Haaland’s AS Monaco media outburst receives response from Manchester City manager | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been handed a first opportunity to respond to Erling Haaland’s outburst of emotion following the midweek outing.

The Norwegian striker was visibly frustrated after City let their advantage slip late on in France, with Haaland openly criticising his teammates’ second-half display during a post-match interview.

His comments came after scoring twice in the opening 45 minutes to take his Champions League tally to 52 goals in just 50 games, only for City to concede late on through an Eric Dier penalty.

Erling Haaland’s frustrations echoed wider concerns within the squad about consistency as the forward insisted that “stupid mistakes” had cost Manchester City and warned that points dropped in the group stage could prove costly later in the competition.

The draw against Monaco also highlighted Pep Guardiola’s wider balancing act with questions asked in some quarters over the decision to withdraw Rodri in the second half, with the City boss later defending his rotation by pointing to the Spaniard’s knee troubles.

Meanwhile, the manager has urged patience with newer faces such as Nico González, emphasising that Manchester City’s evolution will take time as different players develop their own identities in the team.

Speaking to the media ahead of Manchester City’s return to action against Brentford this weekend, Pep Guardiola was asked for his thoughts on Erling Haaland’s public showing of frustration with reporters after the 2-2 draw with AS Monaco.

“All of us, we were [frustrated]. We want to win, we could not do it,” Guardiola said. “We did many, many good things and other ones that we can do better.

“But it’s normal and we’ll work on it. We want to win and we had chances to score a third. Yeah, it’s not a problem I would say.”

Continuing on whether Manchester City fans would have appreciated the reaction from their leading striker and a member of the club’s leadership group, Guardiola said, “We are honest. But fans like it when we win, absolutely.”

Looking ahead, Guardiola will be hoping Haaland’s drive and honesty can serve as a rallying point for his squad rather than a source of distraction, with the Norwegian already established as a vocal presence in the dressing room.

With Brentford up next, Pep Guardiola faces a crucial decision on how much to rotate his squad after a demanding European trip, but ahead of a much-needed international break for stars not selected for national team duties.

The absences of Abdukodir Khusanov, Rayan Aït-Nouri, and Omar Marmoush, along with the cautious management of Rayan Cherki’s fitness, only add further intrigue to this weekend’s selection.

Erling Haaland, meanwhile, will be expected to continue his prolific run, with supporters now eager to see whether the striker’s frustrations can be channelled into another match-winning performance.