I was using Haaland’s pinching tricks when he was a kid and even got Totti sent off with them, says Arsenal legend Keown
MARTIN KEOWN said he used to use Erling Haaland’s pinching tricks and even once managed to get Italian legend Francesco Totti sent off by winding him up.
The Manchester City striker is tearing through scoring records by the week and could potentially fire Pep Guardiola‘s side to a treble.
But it is not just his goal-scoring which has made him so dangerous with the Norwegian also a pro at mind games.
Brentford defender Ben Mee revealed earlier this week that the 22-year-old forward is a fan of the ‘dark arts’ and has begun pinching defenders to put them off their game.
But Arsenal legend Keown revealed it was a tactic that he also used to frustrate opposition strikers.
Writing for the Mail, he said: “There are different types of defenders in football and I definitely fell into the category of a ‘contact’ centre half. I wanted to leave an impression on my opponent from the off.
“I wanted to get into [my opponent’s] head, test his temperament and upset his focus and concentration. Occasionally, that would include pinching him in the lower back.
“I first encountered it myself in a European game with Arsenal and decided to bring it back to England.
“Some opponents refused to react, such as Gianluca Vialli. But that physical contact proved too much for Francesco Totti, who could not control himself and was sent off for repeatedly trying to elbow me in the face in a Champions League game in March 2003.”
Keown adds that the “sky is the limit” for Haaland due to his mix of attributes to get around defenders.
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He has 32 goals in 28 games and is not far off breaking Alan Shearer and Andy Cole’s joint-record for most Premier League goals in a season.
The pair claimed 34 strikes in separate seasons in the mid-90s but those were within seasons when 42 games were played instead of 38.
A few more Haaland goals could help City catch Keown’s former club Arsenal, who currently have a four point lead at the top of the table.