Erling Haaland missed a penalty in the Premier League for the first time since his arrival at Manchester City, but he didn't let it deter him. The Norwegian striker received compliments for his mental resilience from assistant coach Juanma Lillo after the match.
On Sunday, in the absence of the recovering Pep Guardiola due to his back surgery, Lillo sat on the bench during the away match against Sheffield United (1-2). From that position, he observed how Haaland, in the 37th minute, failed to put City ahead from the penalty spot. The 23-year-old star striker hit the post, marking the first time he had missed a penalty in the English league after seven successful attempts.
Despite that negative record, Haaland remained undeterred in his pursuit of the opening goal and got his reward eighteen minutes into the second half. From a cross by Jack Grealish, the Premier League's top scorer from the previous season headed the ball into the net. According to Lillo, this illustrates Haaland's mental strength. "His mindset is so strong that even after missing that penalty, he keeps pushing and keeps trying."
The 57-year-old assistant to Guardiola noticed that Haaland struggled against Sheffield's defense. "Any striker would have found it difficult today, given how the first half played out. And missing a penalty is naturally frustrating, but that can happen to any striker. The fact that he continued to get chances afterward demonstrates his mental resilience. That's truly rare, and he showed it today."
Lillo was content with what City displayed, even though it wasn't initially reflected in the score. "I thought we played well. In the first half, it was very difficult to find space behind the defense," observed the Spaniard. "In the second half, we increased the tempo, regained possession faster, and found space more often. We could have scored many more times."
In England, the absence of Phil Foden from the starting lineup was a topic of discussion. It was Julian Álvarez who replaced Kevin De Bruyne behind Haaland, not the Englishman. "Phil had stomach issues and wasn't feeling completely fit," said Lillo, who would prefer to hand over the reins back to Guardiola as soon as possible. "I'd rather have Pep sitting beside me, especially considering it concerns his health."
