🚨 Virgil van Dijk on Erling Haaland after Manchester City’s win at Anfield:
“People will watch the goal and say we gave him too much space. Maybe. But I wish they understood how difficult it is to play against someone who can do so little for an hour and still be the player you’re most worried about.
Before the match, one of the lads asked me, ‘Virg, what’s the most important thing with Haaland?’
I said, ‘Don’t start thinking you’ve dealt with him.’
He laughed. ‘That’s it?’
‘That’s the difficult part.’
Because there are strikers who make sure you know they’re there. They want the ball, they come towards you, they argue, they keep you busy. Erling can go five or ten minutes without giving you much to do. You look up, he’s walking, and you think everything is under control.
That’s when you have to remind yourself he isn’t on the pitch to entertain you. He’s waiting for one thing.
At half-time it was 0–0. We had worked hard. We’d made it difficult for City, and Gravenberch was giving us a way to play through their midfield. He’d been excellent.
I remember the feeling walking back out. We were in a proper game. It was Anfield, it was City, and neither team had found a way through.
Then Ryan gets sent off.
I’m not going to stand here and pretend losing a midfielder doesn’t change things. Of course it does. Suddenly you’re checking where the extra man is, trying to keep your shape, telling people to move across. Everybody is doing another job on top of their own.
And while you’re sorting all of that out, Haaland is still there.
Someone shouted, ‘Watch Erling!’
I turned my head. He was already moving.
Three minutes after the red card, he’s scored.
That’s what annoys you as a defender. You can spend an hour making the right decisions, and nobody remembers any of them. You make one wrong one, or you’re half a second late, and he has his arms out celebrating in front of the away end.
The funny thing is, when you watch the replay, it can look so simple. People say, ‘Why didn’t you just stay with him?’
Well, if staying with Haaland for 90 minutes were that simple, he wouldn’t keep scoring against everybody.
And then Doku scores. Cherki scores. City are celebrating a big win, and people start talking as though it was comfortable from the first whistle.
It wasn’t. We were level at half-time. There was a match before the red card and a very different match after it.
But I’ll give Erling his credit. The best strikers don’t need you to make ten mistakes. They don’t even need you to make two.
A young defender once asked me how you know you’ve had a good game against Haaland.
I told him, ‘Wait until the final whistle.’
Because if you decide after 60 minutes, there’s a good chance he’ll make you change your answer.”
🚨 Erling Haaland: "I care a lot about this place, I care a lot about Manchester City”.
“I care a lot about the fans, I'm a fan myself and feel with them”.
🩵🤍 Full statement by Lionel Messi: “I wrote these words on July 21, two days after the final… today, after what happened with my dad, I’m even more convinced of this decision than before”.
“After all this time since the final, and after thinking about it a lot, I want to tell everyone that I’m retiring from the national team.
"It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep inside, but I understand that this is the right moment.
"I swear I always gave everything, not only in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too. I always fought and gave everything for this shirt, to bring you happiness and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football.
"There isn’t much time left, and different chapters are coming to an end. This is one that hurts me a lot. I love, I loved, and I will always love being part of the national team. I gave everything I had, and I don’t have anything more to give.
"Also, there are great young players coming through who deserve to be here.
"Thank you for all the love during these 20 years. I’m going to miss hearing you from the inside. Now I’ll be one of you, always supporting from the outside, in the good times and even more in the bad ones.
"Thank you to my family for always being there and for being with me throughout this beautiful but difficult journey. Thank you to every coach, teammate and director I had the chance to share it with. I take with me unforgettable memories and moments.
"I leave with peace and pride, knowing that together with my teammates we gave you moments we once dreamed of. It was crazy to experience all of this with you. I love you!
"Thank you God for making me Argentine.
"Vamos Argentina!
@HELBpage Like what's the essence of constantly applying for the helb kaa hata ya qwanza wasee wa _tvet wajaipata this is 4 months down now c heri mutunyime ssa ,tutoe hopes qwenu 😪
With Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea and Manchester City all in the Champions League top eight, should we expect an English side to win it? 🏆
Here's who they could face in the Round of 16 👀