Guardiola also humorously warned Haaland’s teammates that he could punch them in the face if they contest playing penalty with him
By Mosope Micheals
The Citizen boss, Pep Guardiola has praised Erling Haaland after a commanding performance which earned him a brace in his Premier League debut.
Haaland scored a penalty in the first half and converted Kevin De Bruyna’s defence splitting pass in their 2-0 victory over West Ham at the London Stadium.
The yeoman’s performance by the 22-year-old came a week after he was widely criticised for his performance in the Community Shield defeat to Liverpool.
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Guardiola speaking after Sunday’s win against the London club praised Haaland for hitting the ground running.
He also humorously told his teammates that he could punch them in the face, if they attempt to take the ball from him anytime he wins a spot kick.
Guardiola said, “I know how he handled a lot of criticism this week, he was really calm and trained really well. But the way he took the ball to take the penalty, I liked it.
“He’s direct and if someone is going to take his ball he will punch the faces of one of his mates. I’m pretty sure of that.
“It’s about confidence, ambition and mentality. That showed me. I liked it. And then of course he scored it,” Guardiola said.
