Man City have had horrific season – Haaland

Striker Erling Haaland has described Manchester City’s season as “horrific” and “boring” but hopes it can end with another trophy.

For many clubs, reaching the FA Cup final and being on the brink of Champions League qualification would be a successful campaign. Not for Manchester City.

Haaland, 24, had been in a race to be fit for Saturday’s final against Crystal Palace at Wembley on Saturday – after missing seven games with an ankle injury – but started City’s goalless draw with Southampton.

“This season has been tough,” he told BBC Sport. “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.

Pep Guardiola’s side, who are 18 points behind Premier League champions Liverpool, had been English champions in each of the past four seasons and conquered Europe in 2023.

They are fourth in the Premier League, their Champions League hopes were ended by Real Madrid in the knockout play-offs and they lost to Tottenham in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

“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,” said Haaland.

“Those are the standards we have set. We haven’t done good enough in the league but still hoping for Champions League qualification.

“Crystal Palace are a really difficult club to play against. At Selhurst Park we drew (2-2 in December) and they started really well at the Etihad (in City’s 5-2 win last month).

“They are an amazing team with quality players.”

Haaland joined City in a £51.2m deal from Borussia Dortmund in June 2022, with his goals helping Guardiola’s side to win two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, an FA Cup and a Uefa Super Cup.

On a personal level, he has won the Golden Boot for being the top scorer in the Premier League in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, when he scored 36 and 27 league goals respectively.

Haaland started the season in similar fashion with 10 goals in his first five Premier League matches, but scored 11 in his next 23.

“We haven’t been stable enough this season and we haven’t won enough games, it is as simple as that,” he added.

“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.

Haaland has been one of those players to have suffered with injury.

An ankle problem sustained in the 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final win over Bournemouth at the end of March kept him out of action for more than a month, before he returned in City’s 0-0 draw at bottom-placed Southampton on Saturday.

“It has been horrible to get injured,” he said.

“It is not nice to see the team play but you have to make the best out of it and try to come back as quick as possible.

The cup final against Palace will be one last Wembley appearance with City for midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, with the 33-year-old Belgium international leaving on a free transfer in the summer when his contract expires.

De Bruyne has won six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cups and the League Cup on five occasions while at City.

He is second in the list of most assists in the Premier League era, with 119 assists, behind only former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs on 162.

“We would love for Kevin to finish with a trophy,” said Haaland.

“He has had an incredible time at Manchester City. It is ridiculous how many trophies he has won. Hopefully he will get one more trophy.

“He ranks right up there for me. To get the balls from him is a dream. It has been really special playing with him. Such a joy, and I am going to do everything I can to have this joy in the last few games.

“The future will be different with different players. When Kevin leaves we will need someone to replace him, although Kevin is irreplaceable in so many ways.”

Haaland helped City win the 2023 FA Cup final and the Community Shield in August, although they were not his first trips to Wembley.

Back in 2014, when he was only 13, he visited the national stadium to watch City beat Sunderland 3-1 in the League Cup final, with his father Alf Inge, a former City midfielder, sitting next to him.