Erling Haaland hasn't minced his words when assessing Manchester City's poor season - which has them languishing in fourth - as he claimed it has been "boring"
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Erling Haaland and Man City have endured a forgettable season
Erling Haaland and Man City have endured a forgettable season
Erling Haaland has described Manchester City's season as "boring and not fun" as they face finishing in their lowest position of the Pep Guardiola era. Currently they sit fourth with Champions League football not yet guaranteed.
Haaland had become accustomed to winning since moving to Manchester, landing the treble in his first year and then backing that up with another Premier League triumph last term. However this year the team has seen their form fall off a cliff.
Midway through the season, City embarked on a run that saw them win just once in nine games as they tumbled out of title contention. Now they're needing to win their final two games just to make the top five and secure a spot at Europe's top table.
Guardiola's side have tasted defeat nine times in the league and Haaland hasn't hidden his feelings on the matter, but believes they can still end on a positive in the FA Cup final - which presents them with the chance to at least land a trophy.
He told BBC Sport: "This season has been tough. It is not nice to lose so many games. It is boring and not fun. That's why we need to finish well and get a trophy. It is a good habit to reach Wembley and always important to win trophies. We have the FA Cup final to play for and in a horrific season we still managed to do this."
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The Norwegian went on to say: "When you have won four league titles in a row, if you don't win five it's not going to be a successful season. Those are the standards we have set. We haven't done good enough in the league but still hoping for Champions League qualification."
Haaland started the season on fire, which helped City begin impressively. He scored 10 goals in his first five matches, but scored 11 in his next 23. Injury has also halted his ambitions and a third Golden Boot is now beyond him as he returns from injury.
Despite their Premier League struggles the Manchester outfit can still land the FA Cup
Despite their Premier League struggles the Manchester outfit can still land the FA Cup
A number of City's leading lights have been absent for periods of the season. Much has been made of Rodri's lengthy injury lay-off with the Spaniard missing the majority of the season, but Haaland insists they haven't been good enough as individuals or a team.
"We have to perform better in the big games. We haven't won enough consecutive games. Of course, we have had injuries throughout the season. But we should not search for excuses. Every single one of us hasn't been good enough and we haven't been at our best, so when you are not at your best you aren't going to win games in this country because it's so hard."
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