Erling Haaland and Jan Paul van Hecke went head-to-head during Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Sunday, which is not the first time the duo have had a coming together.
Haaland opened the scoring in the contest with a tidy finish, but the home side would fight back in the second half to punish Man City for missing some of the great chances they created, making it back-to-back defeats in the Premier League.
The international break is coming at a great time for City, as the demons of last season will start to creep in with Rodri stating after the Brighton match that it will take time for the new signings to adapt to Guardiola’s ways.
A talking point after the game was the coming together of Haaland and Van Hecke in the first half, as this is not the first time the duo have clashed. The Dutch star has now shared how he feels about the Norwegian having had two incidents with the superstar.
Erling Haaland and Jan Paul van Hecke during Brighton v Manchester City.
Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images
Jan Paul van Hecke loves his battles with Erling Haaland
Fabian Hurzeler rates the 2-1 win Brighton had over Man City last season very highly in his career, and the German coach would see his team achieve the same result at the Amex Stadium last weekend.
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With City pushing for a late equaliser during the 2024/25 contest, Haaland and Van Hecke had a coming together in the box that led to the pair having to be broken up by their teammates.
Not only did Sunday’s contest reproduce the same result, but Haaland and Van Hecke came together again in the first half, although it did not look as serious as last season’s spat.
The Dutch defender has now been speaking about the Man City superstar, with the Brighton centre-back revealing that he loves his battles with the striker and believes the Norway international feels the same.
“I think Haaland knows who I am by now,” Van Hecke laughs while speaking to Voetbalzone. “I’ve been playing in the Premier League for four years now, and when you face each other every season and have tough matches, something naturally develops.
“I think that’s great, and I think he does too. That’s what you play in this league: you want to push each other to the limit. When you play against Haaland, you have to be ready; otherwise, he’ll eat you up.”
Erling Haaland will meet many Jan Paul van Heckes during his career
Rio Ferdinand views Haaland as the best striker in the Premier League, and the former Man United star is not the only one who shares this belief.
As a result, defenders will try and get into the 25-year-old’s head, as there are not many other ways of getting the better of the superstar, as he is very talented and possesses incredible natural strength.
Haaland will come across many players such as Van Hecke throughout his career, and the striker just needs to make sure he is not drawn into their game, as that is the only way they have of making the playing field even.
Sunday’s scuffle does not look like it will be the last time the two players come together, with round three possibly coming when the two teams meet again in January.