Erling Haaland, the Manchester City striker, has expressed concerns about players being unable to remain “sharp” when facing the prospect of playing 70 matches a year. While the Norway international has enjoyed a summer break, several teammates who participated in the duties in Germany struggled to maintain their top performance levels as the lengthy season came to a close.
During City’s pre-season tour in New York, Haaland commented: “We all noticed how fatigued players were during the Euros and in general. The drop in quality was obvious, as you could see the exhaustion in players’ faces, if I can put it that way.”
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“This scenario will continue into the season, at least initially, especially for those who have had limited vacation. We’re heading into times where it’s unrealistic to expect us to be sharp in every match. While we can strive for that, it’s a challenge to maintain sharpness with over 70 games on the schedule.”
Despite claiming a fourth consecutive Premier League title last season, City fell short in the Champions League after a dramatic penalty shootout loss to eventual champions Real Madrid. In a thrilling quarter-final second leg at the Etihad Stadium, Haaland famously struck the crossbar. Reflecting on what the team was lacking, he remarked: “I don’t believe we are lacking anything. City has been incredibly close in the Champions League over the past three years; we won it once and have secured the Premier League title four years running.
“So, what City truly needs isn’t much, as the club’s achievements over the last six years have been outstanding. Ultimately, in the Champions League, it all hinges on small details. If that header of mine had gone in instead of hitting the bar, the narrative would be completely different, perhaps.”
