Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown believes Erling Haaland should be “bullied” into not scoring for Manchester United.
When Manchester City and Real Madrid met in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final last week at the Santiago Bernabeu, the battle between Antonio Rudiger and Haaland was one to remember.
The German international had a firm grip on the prolific scorer, allowing him just 21 touches on the ball throughout the course of 90 minutes.
As the two clubs prepare for round two at the Etihad Stadium, Keown has provided some tips for Rudiger to keep the Norwegian attacker in check.
“The Germany defender needs to take charge and say, ‘We’re going to play to my rules, not yours’.
At the moment, Haaland thinks he can beat anyone, but you’ve got to make him doubt himself.
Like Yerry Mina for Everton, you have to try some dark arts, whether that’s giving him a pinch or stepping on his foot accidentally-on-purpose,” he wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
“If you’re pinching Haaland, he might just move away. You’re trying to get in his head… or even bully him. You’ve always got to be in his way. You’ve got to unbalance him and permanently have an arm on him to put him off balance. Give him a little nudge here and there. You always need the last touch and last say — it’s not a game of tig!” he further wrote.
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Keown considers Haaland to be the “perfect goalscoring machine” and believes he will go down as one of the sport’s all-time greats. However, he believes Rudiger will “love” the battle and will be the man of the match if he can stop Haaland in his own backyard.
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