What is going on here? Pep Guardiola’s mid-game masterclass as he grabs Erling Haaland to discuss tactics before the striker scored his 48th goal of the season to seal Man City’s place in the Champions League semi-finals
- Pep Guardiola grabbed Erling Haaland for a mid-game discussion on Wednesday
- Guardiola was seen gesticulating wildly at the striker as he listened intently
- The message seemed to get across as Haaland came to dominate Bayern
Pep Guardiola had an animated conversation with Erling Haaland during Manchester City’s clash with Bayern Munich on Wednesday, before the striker propelled his side to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
After taking a 3-0 lead in the return leg, City were put to the test in the first half as Bayern pushed to get back on level ground, and Guardiola seemed unhappy with what he saw from his players.
The Spanish coach took the opportunity to speak to Bernardo Silva during a break in the game and then turned his attention to Haaland.
Guardiola grabbed the Norwegian by the arms and was seen gesturing wildly towards Haaland near the touchline.
Haaland didn’t seem to talk back to his manager when he listened to Guardiola’s message after the visitors’ nerve-wracking start to the second leg.
Pep Guardiola grabbed Erling Haaland by the arms to address him mid-game on Wednesday
He was seen gesticulating wildly after appearing unhappy with City’s start to the game
Haaland seemed to be listening intently rather than talking back to his manager
Whatever Guardiola said seemed to work wonders as Haaland dominated Bayern’s defense for the rest of the game.
His first major engagement looked to be decisive as he charged through on goal and was brought down by Dayot Upamecano.
Upamecano was sent off for his last-man challenge, but the red card was quickly withdrawn after the linesman belatedly raised his flag for offside.
That was a letdown for Bayern, and Haaland gave them another lifeline when he missed a penalty later in the first half and his effort went over the crossbar.
Early in the second half, he squandered another glorious chance after being pushed through by Jack Grealish, but eventually got on the scoresheet moments later.
Guardiola’s message paid off when Haaland scored in the second half
After collecting Kevin De Bruyne’s pass, Haaland wrong-footed Upamecano, who fell to the ground and put the ball into the corner of the net for his 48th goal of the season.
As he approaches half a century of goals in his first England campaign, Haaland proved he was human on Wednesday by missing a number of chances, and Guardiola’s animated pep talk shows he still wants more from his star striker.
Known as one of the most demanding coaches in world football, Guardiola previously taught Raheem Sterling just minutes after the winger scored twice in City’s 6-0 demolition of Watford in the 2019 FA Cup Final.
Haaland’s debut season at City couldn’t have gone much better, but Guardiola looks set to push him to find his very best form at the end of the season as his side continue to pursue a historic Treble.