Manchester City's Norwegian striker Erling Haaland applauds the fans following the UEFA Champions League second leg semi-final football match between Manchester City and Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on May 17, 2023. Manchester City won the match 4-0. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) Manchester City coach, Pep Guardiola, has expressed that his team still has things to improve, after the 5-3 victory in the friendly against Yokohama F Marino in Japan. The "citizens" coach also praised the form of striker Erling Haaland, saying that the Norwegian bomber is in better physical shape than last season. Guardiola said:
"It was a good test as we didn't have much preparation. Yokohama played very well in transition, which was good for us. Of course, we can improve many things, the important thing is that we didn't have any injuries. Now we will rest and prepare for the challenge against Bayern Munich."
Manchester City will face Bayern Munich in an interesting friendly match. This will be the first meeting between the 2 teams, after the one in the Champions League last season. Meanwhile, regarding Erling Haaland, Guardiola commented:
"Compared to last season, he is in better shape. He is in better shape than when he arrived last season. We would very much like it to have the same shape. Haaland is not injured, which is good enough, but he is still far from optimal form like everyone else. He knows what he has to do, and it is known that in a few weeks he will be in better physical shape than he is now."
The Norwegian bomber broke the record for goals scored in a Premier League season in his first season with City. Haaland scored 36 goals in the championship, and a total of 52 in all competitions. The forward's contribution was instrumental in City's success as they won the treble, becoming only the second English team after Manchester United to achieve the feat.
