Erling Haaland told his Manchester City team-mates to get their backsides in gear and branded their start to the season as ‘way too bad’ before Sunday’s derby.
The 25-year-old, part of Pep Guardiola‘s four-man leadership group, pulled no punches after City lost two of their opening three Premier League games.
Manchester United visit the Etihad Stadium this weekend hoping to inflict more pain on Guardiola, who has Napoli and then Arsenal in wait afterwards.
Haaland insisted that City cannot waste any more time this term, believing that Liverpool and Arsenal can quickly pull away from them.
‘We’ve lost two games in a row, it’s not good enough, it’s way too bad,’ Haaland said. ‘We need to figure it out, get back to winning ways. We can’t afford to lose games, as there’s so many good teams.
Erling Haaland has told his Manchester City team-mates they are not doing well enough
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Haaland scored five goals for Norway in midweek but has been frustrated at his club
‘It’s perfect to turn things around against United. We need to all be on our best, get our a**es going, get things going, because it’s not been good enough so far.
‘Losing’s not cool, of course. It’s annoying. You need to use it to something positive. As motivation to do better the next game, and I expect that we are.
‘We need to use the angriness inside us out on the pitch to deliver at our highest level.’
Haaland scored five times for Norway during the astonishing 11-1 victory over Moldova in midweek and has three in his opening three games in the league.
Guardiola claimed that the striker remains the best goalscorer in world football after Liverpool boss Arne Slot suggested that he possessed the preeminent striker on the planet in the £125million Alexander Isak.
‘Erling a bit above,’ Guardiola said. ‘Isak is an exceptional player. You ask what Erling is as a striker – he’s the top. But Isak must be a top player for what they paid, obviously.
‘Another person would say Mbappe, another person would say Messi, another person would say Cristiano. That’s fine.
Pep Guardiola insists Haaland is ‘a bit above’ Alexander Isak, after Arne Slot’s comments
‘It is a game of opinions and everyone has the right to an opinion. What I’m saying is that I would not change Erling for anyone. I know him. He is incredible as a player, adorable as a person and I like him.’
Haaland appears fired up after City’s disappointing month, to follow a disappointing season, and is looking for revenge when Ruben Amorim’s side arrive at the Etihad. And rejected the idea that City require time for a raft of new signings to settle.
‘Maybe it’s not angriness, more a lust for revenge,’ Haaland told Viaplay. ‘That’s the word I want to use. Turn things around to want to win again after we’ve lost. We need to do better.
‘We’ve played good at times, but it hasn’t been consistent enough at our highest level.
‘We’re too good for that [the signings] to be an excuse. Whoever plays, we know what to do and how to win matches. We need to improve as a team. That is not an excuse. That’s what the club pays us for.’
