Nathan Aké has a unique perspective on Erling Haaland. During Manchester City training, the Orange international is able to witness his teammate’s strength.
Due to the demanding schedule, Haaland does not perform as well in every practise as the Norwegian does in games, where he has already scored twenty goals. But Aké also discovers firsthand on the practice field how challenging it is to contain the striker.
Nathan Aké describes marking Erling Haaland in training
In the lead-up to the Champions League match with FC Copenhagen, which also encountered the strength of Haaland, Aké said, “It is a wonderful challenge. With all the matches, the training is a little bit less intense. But it’s an excellent test all the same, marking him is challenging.”
More than just preventing Haaland is the focus of the Etihad Complex activities. “As defenders, it’s encouraging to observe his style of play and desire for the ball. But playing against him is also advantageous for us as defenders. He always presents well. He possesses so many diverse attributes. A player may be powerful but not particularly quick, but he still has everything,” Nathan mentioned.
The Norwegian is challenging to control, as the Orange international is aware from personal training sessions. “It’s challenging since he moves so fluidly. He occasionally searches for the defender before reentering play. You then consider whether to momentarily sit on it or just give him room because otherwise, he could dive behind you in bad weather. He is extremely dangerous since he has several options. Of course, that is quite beneficial to us,” Aké concluded.
Nathan Aké arrived at the Etihad from Bournemouth after passing through the Chelsea development system. The defender cost the Citizens, according to reports, £41 million.
The Dutchman has made just 30 appearances for the team over the last two seasons. One of the strategies to restart his career at the age of 27 is to train with Haaland.
