After Manchester City's 1-3 defeat to Budø-Glimt in Norway in the 7th round of the UEFA Champions League, striker Erling Haaland made one of the most intense and open performances since the match. The Norwegian striker didn't seek excuses this time - on the contrary, he firmly stated that he would take full responsibility.
According to Haaland, at such a time, not only young people, but also experienced leaders must take the lead and feel responsibility. He cited players like Rodri, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Tijani Reynders as examples, stating that "every major figure in the team should openly acknowledge their contribution."
"I will take full responsibility. Experienced players like Rodri, Gigi (Donnarumma), and Tijani (Reinders) should do the same. I don't want to blame anyone, but that's not enough. We must have a stronger sense of responsibility. We are Manchester City - we can't help but win. This situation is not simple," Haaland said.
Most impressively, he specifically apologized for not scoring a goal. In Haaland's words, there was not a simple "sorry," but real inner pain: he felt indebted to every fan who came to the city of Budø to support the team. He assessed this result as "disgraceful" and didn't hide the fact that it was difficult to find the right words.
"I don't have a ready answer. I take all the blame for not scoring a goal. I apologize to every City fan, to everyone who has reached Budø and supported us. This is shameful. To be honest, I don't know what to say, I can only apologize.
I don't want to discuss my feelings. When I enter the field, I always give the maximum. There are many games, but this is my profession. Now there's another match in four days, so we'll try to correct our mistakes and pull ourselves together," Haaland said in an interview with TNT Sports.
These words are both a heavy and important signal for City fans: there's no denying defeat as a "coincidence" within the team. Now the most interesting thing is the answer on the field. Because there might be a lot to talk about in big clubs, but fans expected one thing: City should really return to their "normal state" in the next game.
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