How a bonsai tree helped 運動 City's Treble success and （機の）カム to 代表する Erling Haaland… as Netflix doc 明らかにする／漏らすs all, 含むing Pep's inspirational team talk after 115 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s were 発表するd

• e-mail

A bonsai tree stood in the physio room at Manchester City’s training ground last year, the centrepiece of an area that became a 中心 for Pep Guardiola’s players. It can be やめる busy in there and most of the squad made sure to spray their little seedling when walking through.

‘Erling’s idea,’ John 石／投石するs smirks. Given what we know about Erling Haaland ― the meditation dedication and a zen approach to life ― bringing in that Japanese tree feels perfectly in keeping. As City 嵐／襲撃するd to the Treble, the bonsai gave them a ありふれた 原因（となる） away from the grass.

‘Everyone bought into it, everyone took care of it,’ 石／投石するs 追加するs. ‘It became a thing that if you’d come in and not watered it, you’d be a bit angry with yourself.’

They’re all 武器 and 脚s, the bonsai. A bit like its owner. ‘I’ve 肉親，親類d of got 責任／義務 for it,’ Haaland says. ‘Give it what it needs, 料金d it. It needs the 権利 light. We get the energy from the bonsai tree. We drag the energy out and it breathes into the 団体／死体. It brings us good luck.’

Unwittingly, Haaland is 述べるing himself. 述べるing what he is to this City team. A bonsai needs an exact 環境 to 栄える in and so too does the man who wears No 9 for the best 味方する in the world. Neither 要求する much upkeep but they do 要求する something. Whether he is 存在 afforded that 正規の／正選手 供給（する）, little and often, is up for 審議 and when that 乾燥した，日照りのs up, someone like Roy Keane will merrily 供給する disingenuous commentary on how Haaland 似ているs a League Two striker.

Like the bonsai tree in City's physio room, Erling Haaland must be 扱う／治療するd 適切に to 栄える

A new Netflix 文書の 明らかにする／漏らすs the secrets behind Manchester City's Treble success

After 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s against City were 発表するd, Pep Guardiola 配達するd an inspirational team-talk

‘His general play for such a player, it is so poor,’ Keane said after the goalless draw with 兵器庫 where Haaland was 減ずるd to 23 touches. ‘He has to 改善する that, he’s almost like a League Two player.’

Given his long-running history with the Haaland family, Keane’s comments felt somewhat performative. He, like all of us, had 証言，証人／目撃するd Haaland be （海，煙などが）飲み込むd by two of the continent’s best central defenders in a system far 除去するd from Mikel Arteta’s usual philosophy. City had little space to work between the 支援する four and midfield, no alleyways to 運動 負かす／撃墜する. Haaland 占領するd both William Saliba and Gabriel in a way that might have 許すd others to take 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 どこかよそで, yet Declan Rice covered that ground manfully.

City 直面する this sort of 堅固に守るd defence on a 週刊誌 basis at the Etihad Stadium but with the meanest 支援する line in the 分割, 兵器庫’s ability to keep teams at bay is 意味ありげに higher than others like Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Everton, who all 成し遂げるd admirably on the day but 最終的に lost while 譲歩するing a couple. Haaland netted in all three of those ― switching off against him once can be 終点.

Haaland will be acutely aware of his 最近の 首相 League form, however. He’s still 最高の，を越す scorer, but it’s only four goals in his last 11 外見s ― two of those against Everton ― and the Norwegian 認める recently that he is squandering too many 適切な時期s. ‘I’ll probably 行方不明になる a big chance in the 未来 as wel l, and people are going to criticise me,’ he said after the glaring 行方不明になる during last month’s Manchester derby. ‘But what can I do? Should I think of that?

‘It’s with everything in life, if you overthink something it’s not good, if there’s 強調する／ストレス in your life it’s not good. It’s a mental thing, it’s something I’ve been working on.’

The bonsai ― a story told in the new Netflix 文書の on Manchester City, Together, 解放（する）d on Tuesday ― was probably a method of 緩和 within the work 環境. As a kid, Haaland used to cry when his teams lost but he is 平易な-going these days. More comfortable in his own 肌, even if some pundits who should know better cannot fathom why somebody the 高さ of a shed might occasionally mix his feet up in a 分裂（する）-second 決定／判定勝ち（する）. It’s a long way 負かす／撃墜する from brain to toes.

And Haaland this season is City this season. Good without 爆発するing yet, derailed by 傷害 ― like a fair few others ― and something of a 犠牲者 of last year. ‘Just because your 指名する is Haaland everyone thinks you’ll 得点する／非難する／２０ five every game,’ one source said recently.

They are 権利 and when he doesn’t, people go looking for 推論する／理由s. He doesn’t link play 井戸／弁護士席 enough ― 井戸／弁護士席, that has 改善するd on last season. He can’t 長，率いる it ― 井戸／弁護士席, 現実に, he won five 空中の duels on Sunday, two more than Saliba and Gabriel 連合させるd. Six 補助装置s thus far is in line with the nine 記録，記録的な／記録するd in his debut season.

Guardiola managed to get the best out of his team last season as City won the Treble

Another Treble is possible for City this season but they still have a lot of work to do

Guardiola told his players to 'support him 無条件に' during his team-talk last season

Haaland 直面するd a difficult challenge against 兵器庫's defence but still created space for others

What Guardiola will want more of is the intensity in 圧力ing defenders out of 所有／入手. It was a hallmark of City’s 誤った nine 時代, and there is an 受託 of how that alters with a 巨大（な） man up 前線, but there are 改良s to make in that department. Haaland 収容する／認めるs as much himself. He’s won the ball 支援する 16 times in the final third, eight より小数の than Julian Alvarez. More than Darwin Nunez and the same as Rasmus Hojlund.

He’s 23, he will 自然に become smarter in that area of his game. And there is give and take here. Did City’s creators do enough to find Haaland on Sunday?

How many of 31 crosses were appetising for the Norwegian to attack? As much as he might give more when City aren’t on the ball, they are built not to 要求する his ser 副／悪徳行為s until the very last moment.

Haaland didn't receive 十分な service in the draw against 兵器庫 and was left 失望させるd

The striker won five 空中の duels against 兵器庫 but needs to show greater intensity off the ball

So when he is followed by two centre 支援するs, the onus is on others to wriggle through in a way tha t Ilkay Gundogan did to such 広大な／多数の／重要な 影響 in his later years. If a midfielder takes 事柄s into their own 手渡すs against 兵器庫, as Gundogan so often did, then nobody is talking about Haaland and the fourth 分割.

This is now Guardiola’s challenge, to dial their level up from good to 支持する／優勝者. Given all the 戦術の mastery, Guardiola’s man-管理／経営 can often get overlooked but there were plenty of moments last year when he 奮起させるd his players to greatness. After the league 攻撃する，衝突する them with an 前例のない number of 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s for 申し立てられた／疑わしい 財政上の 違反s, Guardiola 配達するd one of his かつてない team 会談.

‘Support me 無条件に,’ he 需要・要求するd with a crazed look in his 注目する，もくろむ. ‘I want this 首相 League (肩書を与える) more than ever. Everything we have won, has been on the pitch, always. I love the club. I love you too. I want my 軍人s.’

They went and （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域 Aston 郊外住宅 3-1. Then they won it all. 軍人s then, while Guardiola needs gardeners now. The bonsai has gone a bit 乾燥した，日照りの.

The Netflix 文書の Together: Treble 勝利者s is 利用できる to stream from 8am on April 2?