Guardiola defends Haaland after Roy Keane called him League Two player | Football

Keane was not gentle with Haaland on Sunday after City’s goalless draw in the Premier League top match against Arsenal. According to the former midfielder, the Norwegian played like someone who plays in the fourth level of England.

“His basic level is so low, that has been shown many times. He really needs to improve that,” Keane said about Haaland, who did not score for the seventh league match in a row. “He plays almost like someone from League Two.”

Guardiola does not agree with the criticism of Haaland, who is the Premier League’s top scorer with eighteen goals. “He is the best striker in the world and helped us to the treble last season. The fact that we are not creating too many chances at the moment is not because of him,” Guardiola said on Tuesday.

“We played a great game against Arsenal. I watched it back. We may sometimes lack some momentum up front. But Haaland is an exceptional player for us.”

Number three City suffered a loss of points against Arsenal for the second time in a row after previously not winning the top match against Liverpool (1-1). Number four Aston Villa will visit the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.