adminLeeds United’s plan to stop Erling Haaland as Farke offers Kalvin Phillips transfer stance
Leeds-born Erling Haaland may pose a serious threat to a struggling Leeds United side later today.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City feature stars from across the globe — from São Mateus in Brazil to Tashkent in Uzbekistan and Zagreb in Croatia — and two of those talents hail from Leeds.
One cannot make the matchday squad, while the other has been unstoppable in front of goal… at least until recently.
Haaland has failed to score in the two games City have played since the November international break, something that will alarm his hometown club.
Leeds arrive at the Etihad with five defeats in their last six matches, including three losses in a row, and could prove the ideal opponent for Haaland to rediscover his scoring form.
Worryingly for manager Daniel Farke, the striker has not gone two consecutive Premier League matches without a goal this season, boasting a remarkable 14 goals in 12 appearances. Farke is fully aware that Haaland is the primary danger, though far from the only one.
“We talked in the meeting room and on the training pitch about how to stop him,” Farke said. “But it’s not just him — we have to prevent the passes, crosses, and through balls that allow him to finish.
If we try to take him out of the game one-on-one, we have no chance. He’s too good. We need to limit his situations; that’s our only opportunity. Just focusing on him won’t be enough.”
Haaland was born in West Yorkshire while his father, Alfie, was playing for Leeds in 2000. He scored twice against the club 22 years later in a 3–1 City win, another side his father once represented.
After the match, he said his muted celebration was out of “respect for Leeds, where I was born.” Farke doubts that sentiment will soften Haaland’s approach this time.
“I’ve met him on the pitch and he’s a good guy. He definitely has a soft spot for Leeds,” Farke said. “But I don’t think it changes anything this weekend. He’ll be fully motivated to score against us. That won’t help us.
“He is one of the best strikers of our generation. Erling is still very young. Let’s see where he is in his thirties, but there’s no doubt he is already among the greatest.”
The other Leeds-born player in Guardiola’s squad — whom Farke labelled “the best manager in the world” — is Kalvin Phillips. The midfielder has struggled to even make the Premier League squad this season and is unlikely to feature against his boyhood club.
With Leeds sitting in the relegation zone, Farke hinted that January recruitment may be considered. When asked about the possibility of a Phillips return, he responded cautiously.
“First of all, I have huge respect for what he did here. He had a fantastic time and that deserves plenty of praise,” Farke said. “But I don’t want to talk about players under contract elsewhere.
I don’t want to comment on players we could have signed or tried to sign. I focus on the players we actually have, and that’s all I can say.”
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