Erling Haaland Challenges Man City to 'Find Stomach' After 'Catastrophic' Season | OneFootball

After a disappointing season for Manchester City, Erling Haaland is eager to lead his team back to silverware.

Manchester City enjoyed years of dominance that featured four consecutive Premier League titles, a Champions League title and a wealth of other trophies under Pep Guardiola. Everything changed for the Citizens, though, in the 2024–25 season.

Not only did Manchester City fail to defend their Premier League title against Liverpool, but they also crashed out of the Champions League in the knockout phase playoffs and got knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the fourth round. As the Reds celebrated their record-20th league title, Manchester City were busy fighting their way through what Haaland described as a "catastrophic" season for the club.

"You cannot win every year," Haaland told ESPN. "The club has set the standards so the bar is so high that this season is a catastrophic season, that just says it all. And yeah, next season we have to find something inside our stomach again to attack the season."

Despite Manchester City's underwhelming Premier League campaign, Guardiola's men are still poised to finish in the Champions League places. The club also has a chance to bring silverware back to Manchester by winning the FA Cup.

"We have to get better. First, think about the next game. Finish strong in the Premier League and win the FA Cup. Then we have to start focusing on next season straight away," Haaland said.

Manchester City take on Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on Saturday, May 17. The all-important final happens to fall on Constitution Day in Norway, Haaland's native country.

"It would mean a lot to me on a big day in Norway, 17th of May," he said. "So I'll do everything I can to make it possible and I'll do everything I can to help the team to achieve this because it would mean a lot to me."

Haaland recently made his long-awaited return from an ankle injury last weekend in Manchester City's goalless draw with Southampton. Despite missing over a month's worth of action, the striker still comes into the FA Cup final with 30 goals across all competitions this season.

"It's important to win trophies. That's what I want. That's why I'm here. So it would help, definitely. But again, the standards these guys have been putting up, maybe for them it doesn't mean anything because they put the standard so high. But for me it would help. Definitely," Haaland finished.

Manchester City will hope to win the FA Cup and take the momentum into this summer's FIFA Club World Cup. More importantly, though, the Citizens are eyeing a return to glory in the Premier League and have their sights set on snatching the English crown from Liverpool.