Manchester City’s star striker, Erling Haaland, has made it clear that he doesn’t want to make any excuses for their disappointing performance this season.
Under Pep Guardiola’s coaching, Manchester City is experiencing their worst season in the past nine years. Haaland has been open about the team’s poor performance, stating that he and his teammates haven’t been good enough. According to the Norwegian striker, they lacked the hunger and drive required for success.
City’s hopes of retaining the Premier League title ended long ago, with Liverpool reclaiming the title with four matches to spare. In the revamped Champions League format, City failed to make it past the round of 16, losing both legs to Real Madrid and being eliminated in the playoffs. In the League Cup, they were knocked out in the fourth round. Their only remaining hope for a trophy is in the FA Cup.
Injuries have also plagued City throughout the season, with key players, including Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, missing a significant portion of the season.
However, Haaland refuses to use these setbacks as excuses. In an interview with ESPN, the 24-year-old took full responsibility for the team’s struggles.
“Of course, you can make excuses, talk about injuries, and difficult times, but the truth is we haven’t been performing well enough,” he said.
“We didn’t have the hunger within us. I haven’t played well enough. I haven’t been able to help the team enough. We haven’t been good enough.”
This season, Haaland has not been able to replicate the performances of his first two seasons at City. In the 2022-23 season, he scored 52 goals in 53 matches across all competitions, while in the following season, he scored 38 goals in 45 matches. This year, he has scored 30 goals in 40 matches.
After suffering an ankle injury in March during a match against Bournemouth, Haaland missed the entire month but has recently returned to training. He could make his return in Saturday’s league match against Southampton, ahead of the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace on May 17.
City is currently fighting to finish in the top five of the Premier League to secure a spot in next season’s Champions League. With 64 points from 35 matches, they are in third place, one point ahead of fourth-place Newcastle United and fifth-place Chelsea.
