Agbonlahor: Erling Haaland could ‘lash out’ after he is exposed at Man City – ‘he’s not getting his own way’
Gabby Agbonlahor has suggested more teams could target Man City sensation Erling Haaland after Everton star Ben Godfrey appeared to get under his skin last weekend.
The former Aston Villa striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, urged defenders to let the 22-year-old know that “he won’t get his own way” in every game.
Haaland was targetted by defender Godfrey during Man City’s 1-1 home draw against Everton on Saturday (31 December) as the pair clashed physically and verbally throughout the game.
As seen on BBC’s Match of the Day (07:16, 31 December), a pent-up Haaland earned a yellow card after steaming into Vitaly Mykolenko in the aftermath of his clashes with Godfrey.
The phenom netted his 21st Premier League goal to open the scoring in the draw.
Speaking on Wednesday (4 January) and quoted by ESPN , Pep Guardiola insisted he won’t be telling Haaland to calm down – insisting he “likes” seeing the extra “passion” from his hitman.
When asked if winding Haaland up is a tactic other sides could exploit, Agbonlahor told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “I think so.
“I think a lot of old-school defenders will have been watching that very closely and it’s something that we could see more of.
“I used to get that every week. You try and get a reaction; you try and get the striker to lash out so he’s sent off.
“You can’t let Haaland get his way every week. You have to be dirty, aggressive, and annoying to let him know that he won’t get his own way.
“Haaland’s got to learn that, and Everton did a great job of showing that.”
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