Pep Guardiola said he won’t tell Erling Haaland to calm down on the pitch despite his battle with Everton defender Ben Godfrey on Saturday.
Haaland at times appeared riled by Godfrey during the 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium and was booked in the first half for a heavy challenge on Vitalii Mykolenko.
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But Guardiola insisted he wants Haaland to continue to be aggressive, particularly ahead of Thursday’s trip to Chelsea.
“I like it, the extra limit,” Guardiola told a news conference on Wednesday. “Not just him, everyone. His behaviours, you always have to use [your head]. But play with this passion. That is necessary. I prefer that than to be flat. Strikers have to handle tough, tough central defenders.
“It’s necessary. [Against Chelsea] he’ll have a battle with [Kalidou] Koulibaly and Thiago Silva. Always it’s a big challenge and that’s why the Premier League is so special.”
