Striker Erling Haaland has described Manchester City’s season as “horrific” and “boring” but hopes it can end with another trophy.

For many clubs, reaching the FA Cup final and being on the brink of Champions League qualification would be a successful campaign. Not for Manchester City.

Haaland, 24, had been in a race to be fit for Saturday’s final against Crystal Palace at Wembley on Saturday – after missing seven games with an ankle injury – but started City’s goalless draw with Southampton.

“This season has been tough,” he told BBC Sport. “It is not nice to lose so many games. It is boring and not fun. That’s why we need to finish well and get a trophy.

Horrific season

“It is a good habit to reach Wembley and always important to win trophies. We have the FA Cup final to play for and in a horrific season we still managed to do this.”

Pep Guardiola’s side, who are 18 points behind Premier League champions Liverpool, had been English champions in each of the past four seasons and conquered Europe in 2023.

They are fourth in the Premier League, their Champions League hopes were ended by Real Madrid in the knockout play-offs and they lost to Tottenham in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

“When you have won four league titles in a row, if you don’t win five it’s not going to be a successful season,” said Haaland.

“Those are the standards we have set. We haven’t done good enough in the league but still hoping for Champions League qualification.

“Crystal Palace are a really difficult club to play against. At Selhurst Park we drew (2-2 in December) and they started really well at the Etihad (in City’s 5-2 win last month).

“They are an amazing team with quality players.”

Haaland stats

Haaland joined City in a £51.2m deal from Borussia Dortmund in June 2022, with his goals helping Guardiola’s side to win two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, an FA Cup and a Uefa Super Cup.

On a personal level, he has won the Golden Boot for being the top scorer in the Premier League in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, when he scored 36 and 27 league goals respectively.

Haaland started the season in similar fashion with 10 goals in his first five Premier League matches, but scored 11 in his next 23.

“We haven’t been stable enough this season and we haven’t won enough games, it is as simple as that,” he added.

“We have to perform better in the big games. We haven’t won enough consecutive games.

“Of course, we have had injuries throughout the season. But we should not search for excuses.

“Every single one of us hasn’t been good enough and we haven’t been at our best, so when you are not at your best you aren’t going to win games in this country because it’s so hard.”

After Injury

Haaland has been one of those players to have suffered with injury.

An ankle problem sustained in the 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final win over Bournemouth at the end of March kept him out of action for more than a month, before he returned in City’s 0-0 draw at bottom-placed Southampton on Saturday.

“It has been horrible to get injured,” he said.

“It is not nice to see the team play but you have to make the best out of it and try to come back as quick as possible.

“You can’t focus too much on the past because you can’t do too much about it. All you can focus on is looking ahead. I am really happy to be back. Loads of energy.”