Praising Erling Haaland 'routine' - Pep Guardiola

Manchester City boss hails striker's awareness after brace in 4-0 Champions League win over Sevilla

Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring in the 4-0 Champions League victory over Sevilla at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on September 6, 2022. Getty

Erling Haaland scores to give City a 1-0 lead. EPA

Haaland celebrates with teammate Kevin De Bruyne. EPA

Erling Haaland in action. PA

Sevilla's Marcos Acuna with City's Erling Haaland. Getty

Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui greets Manchester City Pep Guardiola ahead of the the match. EPA

Phil Foden celebrates scoring City's second goal with Joao Cancelo. Reuters

Erling Haaland after scoring City's third goal in Seville. AFP

Erling Haaland scores the third goal past Sevilla's Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. AFP

City's Ruben Dias celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Manuel Akanji. Reuters

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said praising new striker Erling Haaland has become part of his "routine" after the Norwegian striker continued his rich vein of form in the Champions League.

Haaland took his tally to 12 goals in eight games across competitions for City with a brace in the 4-0 Group G win at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán on Tuesday.

At 22 years and 47 days, Haaland is the youngest player to score 25 goals in the Champions League, breaking Kylian Mbappe's previous record. The Norwegian is also the fastest to reach the landmark, achieving it in 20 matches.

"I love this routine, but it's been a routine in every single press conference after the game, asking me about him and his goals. Hopefully he can continue this routine, but the numbers speak for themselves," Guardiola told reporters.

"It's not just two goals, he's always just there and always with the feeling that he would score more goals."

Guardiola praised Haaland’s awareness, saying the former Borussia Dortmund striker had an "incredible sense" of where the goal was.

He said: “I think his numbers in all his career – not just here, when he was in previous teams – is quite similar. He has an incredible sense of goal.

“He scored two in the centre and had [the chances] for two or three more. We have incredible numbers scoring goals and [we want] to continue like that.

“We have another battle against Tottenham [in the Premier League] on Saturday and hopefully he can continue scoring goals.”

Sevilla v Man City ratings

City captain Kevin de Bruyne fired an ominous warning to rivals by predicting that Haaland can only get better the more in sync he becomes with his teammates.

De Bruyne, who teed up Haaland’s 20th-minute opener in Seville, told BT Sport: “I try to do my job, make the right movements and try to create as many chances as I can.

“I know, one way or another, Erling is going to be there. For the moment he is scoring the goals and obviously it helps us win games, and it is a pretty good thing for him. A perfect start.

“The way he has adapted to us is really good but I think outside the goalscoring there is another part in the game, and I think that part is maybe more tough to adapt to.

“But it makes it more exciting that if he can adjust to the way we play then the level is going to go up and that is what we demand from him.

“If you score that much you can get away with a little bit more but he knows, and we know, we can still do better.”

Haaland's goals for Man City