Striker says his young son helping him become mentally stronger
Erling Haaland has said competition from Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe is driving him on after his ninth Premier League goal of the season gave Manchester City a 1-0 win at Brentford on Sunday.
The Norwegian struck in the ninth minute, holding off defenders before finishing low past Caoimhin Kelleher. The goal was his 18th in 11 games for club and country this season, continuing a scoring streak reminiscent of his treble-winning campaign two years ago.
“Don’t forget Mbappe as well, he had a great start as well,” said Haaland. “[Mbappe and Kane] are doing amazing, so I need to keep up.
“I have never felt better than I do now. It is about preparation, getting ready for the games. You can be physically ready but you need to be mentally ready.”
The striker credited his son for putting him in a much better place mentally.
“With a kid it makes me even better because I disconnect more than ever,” Haaland said. “When you are young you think of this and that and maybe worry about things but when I get home I relax even more. I think I need to give a shout-out to my son.”
City dominated the first half at the Gtech Community Stadium, but were forced to withstand pressure after midfielder Rodri limped off with another injury setback. Igor Thiago came close to equalising for Brentford with a one-on-one late in the game, only to be denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The win marked Pep Guardiola’s 250th Premier League win in just 349 matches, earlier than Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger achieved the same feat.
