Erling Haaland and the rest of his Manchester City teammates are currently preparing for the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Like many other members of Pep Guardiola’s squad, the striker endured a tough campaign last time around, with his friend Jan Åge Fjørtoft even admitting that Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski were better than Haaland during the most recent term.
The Norwegian superstar struggled with injury and form, and his confidence also took a hit, which was evident when the 25-year-old gave a penalty away to Omar Marmoush during the FA Cup final, a decision Haaland has now admitted he regrets.
With the new season around the corner, Haaland will be looking to put the 24/25 campaign behind him, and the Man City star knows exactly what is expected of him, as Guardiola has informed the forward what he expects more of over the coming months.
Pep Guardiola laughing on the Manchester City bench.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Pep Guardiola wants more from Erling Haaland
Haaland is expected to be among the Premier League’s top goalscorers this season as the Norway international netted 22 times in the division during the 24/25 campaign, despite the term being a struggle.
Guardiola added Haaland to his leadership group at Man City during the summer, and according to Manchester Evening News, the legendary coach expects more on and off the field from the 25-year-old throughout the upcoming campaign.
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“Pep Guardiola touched on this when he went against his previous philosophy as a coach and inserted Haaland into the leadership group,” Simon Bajkowski wrote.
“The decision was made not because the striker is ready to lead, but because with nine years left on his bumper new contract, ‘he has to start to learn what it means to be a captain’.
“City want more from Haaland this season in terms of his performance, but they also want more on and off the pitch in his new role. The goalscoring machine is more aware now of the things he needs to do, so if he can put that into practice, it should help everyone.”
This extra responsibility could take Haaland to another level, but Man City fans would happily take the displays the Norwegian was producing during his first two seasons at the Etihad Stadium.
Erling Haaland grimaces during Manchester City v Wydad at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
How last season compares to Erling Haaland’s first two campaigns at Man City
Haaland will always be judged at Man City by one thing and one thing only: goals. With last season being his worst tally during the three seasons he has spent at the Manchester club so far.
The Norwegian fell four short of his total from the 23/24 campaign, but that was achieved with fewer minutes played, while there were other worries surrounding the 25-year-old last term.
Season Games Goals Assists Minutes
24/25 48 34 5 4041
23/24 48 38 7 3745
22/23 53 52 9 4131
Erling Haaland’s Man City career
There were often games in which the striker was anonymous and simply couldn’t have an impact on matches, as his teammates did not create enough opportunities for the forward. This is an issue Guardiola has to fix, and he may have already found one solution.
Rayan Cherki believes he can bring the best out of Haaland throughout the 25/26 campaign, with the arrival of the French star simply being the solution the Norwegian was looking for over the last year.