The striker of Manchester City, Erling Haaland, claimed that the team’s dramatic dip this season came out of the squad due to a “lack of hunger”.
While City ended the campaign in solid form, the season was littered with miserable performance and shock defeats, including one win in 13 games between October and December.
Few could understand the extent of the city’s decline, of which Haaland argued that a “hunger” was lost from a squad that is used to winning games and lifting trophies in the last seasons.
“Of course you can find excuses, injuries, many injuries in bad times, but in the end we didn’t play well enough,” said Haaland ESPN.
“We didn’t completely have the hunger in us. I wasn’t good enough. I didn’t help the team enough. In the end we weren’t good enough.”
Haaland’s comments were made to manager Pep Guardiola in front of the Premier League collision on Saturday with bottom Side Southampton. The boss admitted his surprise when he asked his players to find out why they had dropped their standards.
“If it is a feeling for Erling, the players should talk to each other and ask themselves why,” he said.
“We can do it better. We are happy about the results we have, but the situation is that we have to maintain it for many, many months. It has only been for three or four weeks.”
Haaland is one of many city players who missed a considerable time of the campaign due to injuries. The Norwegian striker has not been for his team since March, but is ready to celebrate his comeback in the past few weeks of the season.
“I feel good and move well and I’m ready,” he swore.