In Manchester City's 3-1 away win over West Ham United, Norwegian striker Haaland scored a hat-trick and became the top contributor to the team's victory. After the match, City manager Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Harland's performance in an interview, and elaborated on Harland's outstanding performance in the match and the efforts behind him.
Guardiola began by recognizing Harland's improvement in all areas of his game, especially his attention to detail. "He is playing better in all areas, thanks to his extreme attention to detail." Guardiola said, "After training sessions, he would take it upon himself to work on skills such as shooting, one-touch footballs, and would even spend extra time and effort on how to get around the goalkeeper. This obsession with detail made him more comfortable in the game."
Guardiola also revealed the challenges and difficulties Harland faced last season. "Not even once last season was he in a completely comfortable position." Guardiola recalled, "He was feeling tired and was plagued by small injuries for most of the season. But despite that, he showed amazing perseverance and fighting spirit."
Guardiola spoke highly of Harland's performance in the game. "In the final moments, he was very clever and he knew how to take advantage of the chances created by the team." Guardiola said, "Players like Rico (Lewis), Kevin (De Bruyne), Gündoğan, McCarty and others moved very well in small areas and they created a lot of chances for Harland. And Harland converted those chances into goals with his great running and shooting ability."
Guardiola singled out Harland for his first and last goals. "Bernardo (Silva) played the ball to him, he had so much space behind him, he was unstoppable." Guardiola exclaimed, "No center back can defend him, even if you have a gun. His speed and power is amazing, he has become an unstoppable force."
Finally, Guardiola also pointed out his team's shortcomings in passing and said that they need to improve in that area. "In the small areas, we were in this situation a lot and we need players who pass the ball better." Guardiola said, "Jeremy (Doku) wasn't precise enough with our passing when he was in the final third. But as soon as we improve in that area, Harland will get more chances. We know what he is capable of and what he can bring to the team."
