Pep Guardiola has shared something he noticed that left him impressed after Erling Haaland scored Manchester City’s first goal against Tottenham Hotspur.
City are in action for the final time in the Premier League today against West Ham United – and they stand to make history.
A win today, or equalling what Arsenal do against Everton, will see City win the Premier League for the fourth year running, a feat that has never been achieved before.
City are two points clear at the top, and they got to that position after beating Spurs 2-0 on Tuesday night.
It was a bit of a nervy performance from City. But they got the job done, with two goals from Haaland the difference, as well as a couple of top saves from Stefan Ortega.
Haaland’s first goal settled City down, and Pep has now shared what he noticed in the immediate aftermath of that goal…
Pep Guardiola noticed what Jack Grealish and Julian Alvarez did after Erling Haaland put Manchester City ahead v Tottenham
City’s win over Spurs was not pretty.
But performance was never going to matter too much – it was always about getting three points out of that game to move ahead of Arsenal.
It took two world-class players to combine to break the deadlock; Kevin De Bruyne squaring for Haaland in the six-yard box.
Haaland’s celebration was fairly muted considering how important a goal it was. But two players who weren’t quite as calm were Jack Grealish and Julian Alvarez.
Pep spoke about them ahead of the final game with West Ham, revealing he liked the togetherness on show. He said (via Daily Mail): “When Erling Haaland scored the first goal at Spurs, I saw our substitutes Julian Alvarez and Jack Grealish hugging each other as they warmed up. That togetherness, you have to build it every single day.”
City’s dressing room has long been in a healthy place
So City are going in pursuit of a fourth straight league title, and the state of the dressing room is as much a reason behind the team’s success as anything else.
City have many top-class players, working under potentially the greatest manager of all-time.
But it’s so vital to ensure the environment is right, and everyone is singing off the same hymn sheet.
Not only do City have amazing players, but they have brilliant characters in their dressing room, and people who are team-focused. There has long been a strong togetherness, and it is a major reason why so many trophies have been won.
Hopefully, the team can add another to the cabinet today – Cristiano Ronaldo is someone who believes they will.
