Manchester City can end a difficult season with some silverware if they beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on Saturday, but Erling Haaland has claimed that still wouldn’t save their campagin
Erling Haaland says winning the FA Cup will not make up for Manchester City’s poor season because the standards they have set are so much higher. Pep Guardiola’s side have endured a dismal campaign by their lofty standards, failing to challenge for the Premier League title and not even making the Champions League last 16.
Although City can win silverware by beating Crystal Palace at Wembley this weekend, Haaland said it may not mean much to their long-serving stars, who are used to lifting bigger trophies.
Asked if winning the FA Cup would save City’s season, Haaland said: “For me, it would help. It’s important to win trophies and 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.
“City have high standards, winning so much in the last years, even before I came. Yeah, it hasn’t been good enough.
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“We haven’t been there fighting in the Premier League or the Champions League and that’s not good enough for a club like City. You should be there and you should compete.
“We haven’t done that so now, if we can finish strong in the Premier League and win the FA Cup, that would be a really good thing. I’ll do everything I can to make it happen.
“You can’t win every year. And again, why I just said the club has set the standards so the bar is so high that this season is a catastrophic season – that just says it all.
“I don’t know the answers, but sometimes you just need to run. You have to run more. We haven’t run enough this season. You have to run more, perform better, be more stable as a team.
“Of course you can find excuses. Injuries, many injuries at bad times, but in the end we haven’t been performing well enough. Next season we have to find something inside our stomach again to attack the season.”
Of more immediate concern to Haaland and his team-mates is overcoming a Palace side who have posed them problems in their two league meetings this season. Guardiola’s side trailed in both games, drawing 2-2 at Selhurst Park in December, then coming from 2-0 down to win 5-2 at the Etihad Stadium last month.
Although City start the final as favourites, Haaland knows not to underestimate Oliver Glasner’s enterprising side, who are capable of causing a major upset.
“Palace are a really difficult club to play against,” said Haaland, who has 30 goals this season despite a recent seven game absence through injury. At Selhurst Park we drew and they started really well at the Etihad. They’re an amazing team with quality players.”
Haaland has an extra reason for wanting to lift the FA Cup, with tomorrow Constitution Day in Norway, a national holiday and celebration of his country’s independence in 1814.
“It would mean a lot to me on a big day in Norway, the 17th of May,” said Haaland. “So I’ll do everything I can to make it possible and everything I can to help the team achieve this.”
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