Manchester City star Erling Haaland feels that neither he nor his teammates have lived up to expectations this season.
For the third consecutive time, City have reached the FA Cup final, and they are now close to securing a Champions League spot. But despite these positives, Haaland sees little joy in what has been a disappointing season. He calls this campaign a “complete failure” for the club after failing to defend their Premier League title.
In an ESPN interview last week, Haaland attributed the team’s poor run to their overall mediocre performances. He echoed the same views in a BBC interview published Thursday. Without hesitation, he said the team’s failure is because “none of us played well enough.”
City, Premier League champions for the last four seasons, lost hope of retaining their crown long ago. Meanwhile, Liverpool have reclaimed the title with four games still remaining, putting City’s struggles into stark contrast.
In the Champions League, City exited in the round of 16 after losing both legs to Real Madrid. Their League Cup journey ended in the fourth round. Their only remaining chance of silverware is the FA Cup final, where they face Crystal Palace at Wembley on Saturday.
Just two days before the final, Haaland’s voice reflected the frustration of an underwhelming league campaign:
“Reaching Wembley consecutively is a good habit, and winning trophies is always important. We have the FA Cup final ahead, and the fact that we have gotten this far despite such a terrible season says a lot.”
“After winning the league four times in a row, not winning a fifth isn’t a successful season by any means. That’s the standard we have set for ourselves. We didn’t play well in the league this season, but we are hopeful to qualify for the Champions League next season.”
At one point, City’s league position had slipped dangerously low, putting their chances of European football in jeopardy. But they’ve gone unbeaten in the league for the last two months, with five wins and three draws from eight matches, strengthening their hold on a top-four spot.
After 36 games, City sit fourth with 65 points—just two points clear of Chelsea and Aston Villa. Nottingham Forest, seventh with 62 points, is also still in the fight for a Champions League place.
Injuries have taken a heavy toll on City this season. For instance, Ballon d’Or winner Rodri was sidelined for the entire campaign. Several other key players also missed large parts of the season.
Still, Haaland, who is contracted with City until 2034, refuses to accept injuries as an excuse.
“We have never really been consistent this season in terms of performance… Of course, injuries have hurt us a lot throughout the season. But we shouldn’t make excuses.”
“None of us played well enough, and none of us were at our best. If we don’t perform at our highest level on the pitch, it’s impossible to win games here because the competition is so tough.”
Haaland, who was the Premier League’s top scorer the last two seasons, is not at his best this time. Unsurprisingly, he is not in the running for the Golden Boot. The Norwegian star, who missed about a month due to injury, has scored 21 goals this season—seven fewer than the leader Mohamed Salah.
