Brighton and Hove Albion defender Jan Paul van Hecke has revealed his plan to keep Erling Haaland quiet as he continues to milk the 2-1 win over Manchester City.
Voetbal Nieuws cover comments from the Brighton defender today made to the D’n Hoefcast podcast, in which the subject of Haaland was brought up once again.
Van Hecke has found himself being continually questioned about the Manchester City striker over the last few weeks following Brighton’s 2-1 win before the international break.
Haaland scored in that game, but Van Hecke was perceived to have enjoyed a great game against him, keeping him quiet aside from that goal.
He was even seen being welcomed by his Netherlands teammates looking in his pockets and asking where Haaland was in a joke clip that later went viral.
The defender has been doing interviews about the game and his performance ever since, clearly revelling in his moment in the spotlight and a star performance against one of the best strikers in world football.
And it seems he’s not ready to give that up just yet, as he revealed his strategy to keep Haaland quiet on his latest podcast appearance.
“Everyone talks about his speed and strength and that is true because he has that, but with him I think it is more his running actions,” he said.
“His runs are so well timed, allowing him to come into his own. Of course, if you give him one chance he will just score. In the Premier League there are many strikers who are fast and strong, but he knows how to combine it.
“I try to do it as little as possible. I know from him that he likes to go to the second post and then get out of your back by jumping high. If you watch a lot of images, you forget your own strength.”
