Haaland has entered his third season in sky blue and shown no signs of slowing down his epic scoring feats, bagging four goals in two Premier League games so far this term, including a treble in the 4-1 home opener against Ipswich Town.
That triple tally was his 10th City hat-trick and put him on 94 goals in 96 starts for the Blues, numbers Guardiola called ‘ridiculous’ and ‘unbelievable’ following the victory over the Tractor Boys.
But today, as he faced the media prior to our away weekend trip to West Ham, Guardiola also acknowledged the forward’s impact in the dressing room.
“A little bit higher,” the manager said of Haaland’s influence.
“He knows the environment, the players, how we live. It’s a process which if he stays longer he’ll be one of the captains of the team, that is a normal role.
“But his impact since he’s arrived has been really good. It’s always happy and positive and incredible.”
“Yes, he has to – absolutely,” the boss continued when asked if he saw Haaland as a leader.
“When you play all the games and are so active on the pitch, yeah leaders maybe don’t talk much, they are leaders.
“Behaving on the pitch and if there’s a big problem - intervening.
“Sometimes you need the armband to be a leader, step by step it will happen.
“It’s already the third season together. If he stays longer at the end he will be one of the most senior players in the team.
“It’s normal and naturally it’s going to happen.”
One of the key aspects of being a leader is your relationship with other members of the first team squad.
Guardiola stressed in his media briefing that Haaland – who captained the side in the first and last games of the US Tour against Celtic and Chelsea - is an encouraging and uplifting figure at the CFA.
“Really good. It’s really good,” the manager added on the striker’s connection and rapport with the other players.
“Everyone has good moments, bad moments, at the moment it’s really good. Always positive and happy.
“I’m not in the dressing room with the players, sometimes I sit in the canteen or on the pitch. The relation between them is extraordinary.
“I said last season, this season, the group of players is unbelievable.
“It’s one of our strengths. The respect, how they push how good they train, how they compete.
“They are friends most of them. That is really good.”
Two-time Golden Boot winner Haaland is motoring towards a century of City goals and will be hoping his scoring exploits ensure more trophies in the cabinet, to add to the two Premier Leagues, one Champions League, one FA Cup, one Super Cup and one Community Shield he’s already collected.
His fitness will play a key part in that charge for glory and Guardiola has been delighted with the striker’s conditioning so far this season.
“When he arrived he came from Dortmund with a lot of problems with injuries,” the manager added.
“This season I have the feeling he’s better. I don’t know, I don’t want to say ever because he scored 50/60 goals every season so to be better it’s difficult.
“But finish the training sessions and stay on the pitch a little bit more for the finishing, crosses and I spoke with his physios and he feels perfect and has no niggles. In the first season he had a lot.
“So he was always smiling. Of course, it’s one game a week, tiredness will come, winter will come.
“Now’s the time to play Nations League with Norway, 10-hour flight, 10 hours back. This kind of stuff accumulates.
“That’s why you have to be careful but so far and the end part of the States to come back and be focused and trained, it’s really good.”
