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Pep Guardiola plays down long-term fears over Erling Haaland’s fitness
Pep Guardiola has played down any long-term fears over the fitness of Erling Haaland after the striker missed Manchester City’s 2-1 win at Luton with a foot injury. Guardiola hopes the prolific Norwegian will be fit for City’s first game at the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, on 19 December.
Guardiola relayed Haaland’s problem as a “bone stress reaction” but insisted nothing was broken. “He was not ready today, I don’t think so for Crystal Palace [on Saturday] but hopefully he can be ready in Saudi Arabia,” Guardiola said. “Week by week will dictate how he feels.”
Related: Manchester City’s quickfire double seals comeback win at Luton
City’s manager explained the problem was incurred in the midweek defeat at Aston Villa. “The day after he almost could not walk properly. Yesterday I spoke with him and he said he was feeling much, much better, that he could walk without pain. The doctor says we have to see week by week, day by day how it will get better. Maybe he will be ready for Crystal Palace, I don’t think so but we will see.”
Guardiola cut a generally content figure after his team recovered from 1-0 down at the break to end a four‑game Premier League winless run. Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish cancelled out Elijah Adebayo’s opener in first-half stoppage time. Guardiola, who branded this a “significant” win, revealed he challenged his players during the interval.
“I said to them: ‘What do we want to do, feel sorry for ourselves? It is football, it is life, it happens. Even if they score a second goal, what do you want to do, complain again and say we are unlucky?’
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“The big characters, the big teams like this one is, are defined in these situations. We can win 18 games in a row but that doesn’t define who you really are. You are defined now, in this moment, four games without winning and 1-0 in a tough stadium. They don’t need to prove to me what they are capable of because they are an extraordinary group but the competition demands you prove it again.”
Rob Edwards, the Luton manager, said: “I am proud but disappointed. I felt like it was there for us today.”
