Roy Keane has been blasted for his criticism of Erling Haaland (Image: Sky Sports)
Erling Haaland struggled mightily in Sunday’s draw between Manchester City and title rivals Arsenal, earning harsh criticism from Roy Keane, a legend of Manchester United.
Erling Haaland has come under fire for being referred to as a “League Two player” by Roy Keane after Manchester City’s draw with Arsenal.
After winning the Golden Boot the previous season, Haaland is once again the top scorer in the Premier League. But on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium, Gunners center-backs Gabriel and William Saliba silenced him.
Keane was harshly critical of the Norwegian’s performance, focusing on his overall skill set. Chris Sutton, a former Premier League champion, has responded to the Manchester United icon, though.
He maintained that the Irishman’s negative remarks about Haaland were ‘ridiculous’. Sutton urged City’s other offensive players to take the initiative and provide greater support for their star striker.
After Sunday’s draw with Arsenal, I felt that some of the criticism directed at Manchester City striker Erling Haaland was excessive. Haaland did not receive enough opportunities from City, which is not his fault, Sutton told BBC Sport.
“Players like Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, and Kevin de Bruyne must take those chances. Roy Keane’s description of Haaland on Sky, comparing him to a League Two player, is absurd.
“It doesn’t matter who gets the goals against Aston Villa, but City cannot allow the gap to leaders Liverpool to get any bigger than three points.”
Keane’s criticism of the City star, who was unable to get a shot on target against Arsenal, was harsh. The Irishman maintained that Haaland’s problems had been a long-term pattern rather than an isolated incident.
Haaland struggled for chances up against Arsenal defender William Saliba ( Image: Getty)
Not just today, but his overall play is really subpar. He’s cutting things off, be it headers or anything else. He is the greatest goal scorer in the world, but his overall play is very subpar for a player of his caliber, he told Sky Sports.
“Not only today. He needs to make that better. In my opinion, he resembles a player from League Two. He needs to play better overall. It will function during the ensuing years. Excellent striker who still needs to demonstrate his whole game. Needs to be.
“The city is accustomed to these difficulties; today, that was not the case. You need that quality when you’re playing against teams that sit in. Sometimes defending is the easiest part of football; all you have to do is slide across and fill in gaps.
You then require your exact moments and quality. People who were just off it were Foden, De Bruyne, and Haaland. Yes, we give Arsenal credit, but even at the beginning of the game, it was evident from watching City that these elite players were not quite at their best.”
