Erling Haaland Tells Manchester City Team-mates to Improve After Poor Start

Erling Haaland publicly urged Manchester City team-mates to raise their standards after the club lost two of its opening three Premier League games, calling the start to the season "not good enough" ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium.

The 25-year-old, a member of Pep Guardiola's four-man leadership group, said the squad must find an immediate reaction as the league campaign reaches its early critical phase. "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."

Haaland said the mood at the club should be channelled into on-field performance: "We need to use the angriness inside us out on the pitch to deliver at our highest level." He added that the feeling was less about anger and more a "lust for revenge" after an inconsistent start that he said has not met the club's standards.

The striker arrives at the weekend fixture after scoring five goals for Norway in their 11-1 win over Moldova in midweek and has three goals from his first three league appearances for City. Guardiola has publicly defended Haaland, saying the striker remains among the best in world football and adding that he would not swap the Norwegian for any other forward.

City's recent results have increased the pressure on Guardiola's side. Manchester United visit the Etihad this weekend, with Champions League opponents Napoli and a trip to Arsenal following in the coming weeks. Haaland warned that rivals such as Liverpool and Arsenal could quickly pull away if City do not arrest the slide.

Asked whether the integration of new signings was to blame for the slow start, Haaland rejected that line of reasoning. "We're too good for that [the signings] to be an excuse," he said. "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."

The comments underline a sense of urgency within City's dressing room after a campaign-opening period that has fallen short of expectations. Guardiola has won multiple domestic and European honours since taking charge in 2016, but scrutiny on personnel and performances is likely to intensify if results do not improve in the run of fixtures that now awaits the champions.