Erling Haaland has said Manchester City must rediscover the “stomach” to fight for the biggest trophies after branding this season “catastrophic” for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Haaland has questioned whether the squad has had the same “hunger” after relinquishing the title to Liverpool and struggling in the Champions League.
The Norway international is hoping winning the FA Cup on Saturday can provide a platform to return to their best form next season.
And he insists that as soon as the current campaign ends, the focus will immediately shift to bringing the Premier League trophy back to the Etihad Stadium.
“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.
“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.”
Guardiola has been clear that beating Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final won’t save City’s season. It’s a claim which has been backed up by a number of players.
Haaland, though, has a different view. The striker is desperate to win at Wembley on Saturday, particularly because the game falls on Constitution Day in his native Norway.
“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.
“For me it would help. 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.”
