City Must Question Lack of 'Hunger'

Guardiola, in reply to Haaland's views on decline, says 'we can do better'

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LONDON - Manager Pep Guardiola responded to Erling Haaland's comments that the Manchester City's drop-off in form this season may be due to a lack of "hunger", suggesting that his "players should talk to each other and ask themselves why".

City had won the past four English Premier League crowns, as well as the treble in 2022-23, but failed to mount a serious title defence as Liverpool romped home to their 20th English top flight trophy with games to spare.

Haaland, who has been out with an ankle injury suffered in March, told ESPN: "Of course, you can find excuses, injuries, many injuries at bad times, but in the end we haven't been performing well enough.

"We haven't had fully the hunger inside of us. I haven't been good enough. I haven't helped the team enough. In the end, we haven't been good enough."

When asked about those comments ahead of City's May 10 league trip to bottom-placed Southampton, Guardiola said on May 9: "If it's a feeling for Erling, the players should talk to each other and ask themselves why.