Erling Haaland claims that part of the reason for his remarkable scoring streak at Manchester City was due to the team's medical personnel "fixing" his physique.
During his two-and-a-half years with Borussia Dortmund, the Norwegian striker was plagued by a number of muscular issues, notably with his adductors, which frequently hampered his availability. He underwent a minor treatment in the summer.
Haaland, though, thinks that his record-breaking start for the Premier League winners was made possible in large part by the persistent efforts of City's medical staff in addressing those problems.
Despite taking a six-week hiatus for the World Cup in Qatar, the 22-year-old became the youngest player in top-flight history to record 20 goals before January on Wednesday with a double at Leeds.
With the two goals, he has now scored an incredible 26 goals in just 19 games. Throughout this period, he has broken several records and is presently on track to become the first player to score 40 goals in a Premier League season.
“It’s been fantastic in the first half of the year – to work with Pep [Guardiola, the City manager] and such amazing players,” Haaland said.
“Not only the coaching staff and players but also the medical staff have been working so good for me to fix my body. I’ve been having some small problems but now I’m getting much better.
“It’s been a pleasure honestly to work with these guys to improve my game. I’m still young and that’s something I want to do – I want to improve and become better.
“I feel good. I had a vacation [during the World Cup] and recharged my batteries. I’m ready for the second half of the season.”
It has been acknowledged that the larger medical and sports science departments at City and the sports therapist Mario Pafundi have significantly increased Haaland's availability.
Pafundi even accompanied the striker on international duty for Norway's Nations League matches against Slovenia and Serbia to keep an eye on his development and make sure his meticulously planned schedule wasn't disturbed.
Haaland made just 30 appearances in all competitions in his final season with Dortmund, appearing in just four of City's games this season, two of which he did not start.
The Norwegian's own careful management of his body and mind has also contributed to improving his fitness. In addition to wearing orange-tinted, blue-light spectacles in the hours before bed because they filter out high energy released by digital devices and natural light, he wears an Oura Ring gadget on his finger that monitors his sleep quality, temperature trends, stress, and heart rate.
His diet, which consists of offal, heart, liver, fish, and his dad Alfie's lasagna, is also closely monitored.
In more recent times, City has had to deal with the foot ligament issue that resulted in Haaland's halftime replacement against his former team Dortmund in the Champions League in late October.
Guardiola said after Leeds that his center striker is not yet totally up to speed or performing at his best due to the problem, which mostly prohibited Haaland from exercising on their winter camp in Abu Dhabi this month. This is due to a lack of match practice after the World Cup break.
'I get really p----- when I miss chances'
“To be honest, I get really p-----,” he said. “That’s the truth. But when I miss, I want to score even more. That’s the funny thing - when I score one, it’s such a good feeling I want to score another goal, so it’s positive. But, of course, it’s hard [to miss] – you remember in Salzburg it was hard for me when I missed chances. Jesse [Marsch, the former Salzburg manager now in charge of Leeds] knew all about that.
“I’m getting older, more mature, now and I’m getting a bit better handling these situations, but of course, it’s hard [when you miss]. You have to think in a way to do something about the next chance because you cannot do anything about the past, you have to think about the next chance.”
Haaland said he did not celebrate against Leeds out of respect for the club, for whom he has a deep affection, and the city in which he was born. Haaland was born only weeks after his father Alfie Haaland left Leeds for City in 2000 and said Wednesday’s exploits at Elland Road were a special moment for his watching family.
“Yeah that [not celebrating] was planned, I didn’t feel like celebrating. I felt too much respect for Leeds, where I was born,” he said. “It was a pretty special feeling, my father and mother in the stands, my whole family. It’s a bit unreal, to be honest. Not even in my craziest fantasy would I think to play for Manchester City against Leeds at Elland Road.”
Haaland said it was a “bummer” not to be involved in the World Cup but said he would give Julian Alvarez “a big hug when I see him” after the City forward lifted the trophy with Argentina. Alvarez is due to report back after City’s game against Everton on Saturday.
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