Pep Guardiola downplayed any concerns that Erling Haaland may have picked up an injury after the forward collided with a post in Manchester City’s defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday.
Haaland made sudden contact with the frame of the goal as he successfully latched onto the end of an Omar Marmoush cross with only one minute of regulation time remaining, but hurt himself before his apparent equaliser was ruled out for offside.
Guardiola, while admitting he hadn’t spoken to him, assumed that his star player, who failed to score and, as a result, ended the run of scoring in 12 consecutive games, will be fine as his side looks ahead to a midweek League Cup visit against Swansea City.
“Hopefully he’s fine,” Guardiola said. “I didn’t speak with him.”
'I don't think about winning the Premier League in October and November'
Matty Cash was the only scorer in a game that provided showing for Villa’s best performance of the season so far, and the defeat for Guardiola meant his team dropped into fifth in the Premier League table, having started the day in third.
This, too, was the third season in a row where City have failed to win at Villa Park, but Guardiola had a point to make about the quality of Unai Emery’s side, whose season has been fluctuant up to this point.
“I don’t know how many teams can come here and play the way we played," Guardiola said. *"With the courage, possession and chances. We have to be stable with that. I don’t live in October and November thinking ‘oh what is going to happen if we don’t win the Premier League?’ So it’s game by game now.*
“They are a Champions League team – unfortunately they are not there this season – but they are a top, top team and compete very well,” he said. “I admire them.”