Erling Haaland cites lack of fire among Manchester City squad to explain this season’s struggles | OneFootball

Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland has candidly reflected on his side’s struggles over the course of the 2024-25 campaign, reasoning why the Blues have struggled to match their usual prowess for a large portion of what has been a sub-par year.

Haaland has been one of Manchester City’s best and most reliable players for the 2023 treble winners amidst their struggles this term, failing to mount a challenge for the Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles.

City have turned the ship around in the last month-and-a-half and are in pole position to secure a third-place – if not second given Arsenal’s run of fixtures ahead – finish in the Premier League and they also face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final next weekend.

However, there is a general acceptance that standards have been far from met this season and despite a glaring combat with recurring injuries across the pitch, Haaland believes it is a convenient cop-out to blame this season’s downslide solely on personnel issues.

“Of course, you can find excuses, injuries, many injuries at bad times, but in the end we haven’t been performing well enough,” said the Norway international in an interview with ESPN.

“We haven’t had fully the hunger inside of us. I haven’t been good enough. I haven’t helped the team enough. In the end, we haven’t been good enough.”

Haaland has spent the last month on the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury in City’s 2-1 comeback victory over Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-final on the south coast, scoring the leveller but subsequently being taken off.

The 24-year-old is back in first-team training and could be back in action against Southampton this weekend, with Pep Guardiola expected to provide an update on the forward’s availability in his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon.

Haaland continued: “It was horrible to be injured, but what can you do?

“You have to recover as quickly as you can and to come back as fit as you can. Now I’m back with loads of energy.

“I’m feeling good and moving good and I’m ready.”

City face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final soon and Guardiola will be hopeful that Haaland can be ready to play a role against Oliver Glasner’s side, who were put to the sword in a 5-2 thumping by the Blues at the Etihad Stadium in April.

Haaland will be keen to lead from the front and get Manchester City back to challenging for the Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles next season, whilst extending his goal tally and making more of a difference on the bigger occasion next season.