Macnhester United striker coach Benni McCarthy has reflected on the way the team kept Erling Haaland quiet in the FA Cup final.
Manchester United lost the final 2-1 at Wembley, ending a strong season on a disappointing note.
Ilkay Gundogan scored a goal in each half, with Bruno Fernandes scoring a penalty for Manchester United.
It was not a day to remember, positively. However, Benni McCarthy has pointed to one positive.
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Benni McCarthy on Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland is Manchester City’s unstoppable striker who blitzed Manchester United at The Etihad early in the season with a hat-trick. He has a staggering 52 goals in 52 games this season.
At Old Trafford Manchester United kept him quiet in a 2-1 win in January, and at Wembley, for the second game in a row, the Red Devils shut him out.
In an interview with Joburg 947, McCarthy said: “He [Haaland] can improve his game a little bit, especially when defenders try and mark him out of the game.
“I watched the game against Real Madrid and Rudiger was so tight on him, he did not have the solutions. Most defenders use that as a reference.
“The game against us on Saturday in the FA Cup, he almost was non-existent.
“They’ve got a great team players who can pop up from anywhere and score goals and we weren’t able to contain them and take to extra-time but Haaland was ineffective in that game. There is a lot of improvement he can make.”
McCarthy’s comments underline that some coaches are beginning to figure out ways to keep Haaland quiet.
But as United discovered at the weekend, that isn’t always enough against City.
It is back to the drawing board, with United now spending the summer looking for ways to improve and bridge the gap.
However, thanks to Erik ten Hag, even Haaland’s arrival means the gap between United and City is a lot closer this season, than it was before the manager arrived.
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