da bet nacional： Pep Guardiola has revealed he laid into his Manchester City players at half-time against Everton and praised Erling Haaland for making the difference
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Guardiola reveals spicy team talkCoach pleased with team's reaction Credited Haaland for making differenceWHAT HAPPENED?
City struggled to break Everton down and failed to have a shot in the first half for the first time since August 2021. However, two ruthless finishes from Haaland, who was making his first start at the Etihad Stadium for two months, ensured they won a 10th consecutive match in all competitions.
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"In the first half our body language was not good. You cannot play good football if you are not positive. You do your best when you are positive, when you start to complain and are sad it does not work," Guardiola said. "We talked at half-time and I told them, ‘what do you expect to come here and win 5-0? Come on. Life is tough and football is tough.’ In the second half we increased and attacked the spaces we needed to. The team never dropped. We were stable and the back four is moving really well together and we have made a step forward in that sense. The players that came from the bench played perfectly."
GUARDIOLA ON HAALAND
“I cannot imagine him two months stopped and moving this huge body and be in shape again but he is back. I think he is going to help," Guardiola told . "I told him be positive and the situations will come. The first goal is a little bit careless but the finishing is incredible and the finishing for the second was incredible as well. It is really important for us having Erling with us. He has to be positive all the time. Not because we don’t want to create chances all the time. Sometimes the openings are good and we cannot do it. The difference in life… the next one be positive – in the second half the body language was 1000 times better and that is everything in sport."
Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Haaland missed almost two months with a foot injury sustained against Aston Villa in December, which was the last time Guardiola's side were beaten. They coped well with his absence, only failing to win one game, against Crystal Palace, but the prolific Norwegian proved that they are unquestionably a stronger team when he is available.