Pep Guardiola sends Erling Haaland Man City warning after Jurgen Klopp new season Liverpool insight
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has warned the Premier League that Erling Haaland is in "much better" condition now than he was in pre-season last year.
Haaland is currently in Japan with his City team-mates, preparing for his second campaign in England. During his first 12 months at the Etihad, the forward scored 52 goals across all competitions in a treble-winning campaign.
The Norway international scored twice off the bench as City beat sister club Yokohama F. Marinos 5-3 in their first pre-season friendly during the tour of Japan and South Korea. Guardiola’s side take on Bayern Munich in Tokyo on Wednesday, before facing Atletico Madrid in South Korea and then returning to the UK to play Arsenal in the Community Shield on August 6.
And speaking after the game at the Japan National Stadium on Sunday, Guardiola revealed that Haaland’s fitness is in good shape and stated that his goalscoring form in pre-season will only help when the serious business begins.
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He said: "Comparing last season and that period, he is fitter, much better than last season when he arrived.
"I know we would love [his form] to be like last season. But it’s not the point; the point is no injuries. [He] looks good, but he is still a way from the best condition, like everyone.
"So, of course, it is important for him to score two goals in the first game, because last season in the last games, he could not score. Important is the rhythm, the principles, the concepts we are working with all the time. Get it as best as possible.
"We know exactly what he has to do. We
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