Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has urged supporters to stay positive in his first comments since the 115 charges verdict was published. During the international break, the Premier League confirmed that City had been found guilty of nearly all of the 115 charges.
City have since continued to insist they are innocent and have lodged an appeal. For now, no punishment has been released by the Premier League, but fines, points deductions and expulsion from the Premier League have all been suggested as possibilities.
Haaland calls for unity
City released an interview with Haaland on Thursday afternoon where the striker called for positivity. When asked about a tough couple of weeks for the club, Haaland said: "We have to stick together, we have to stay with each other and we have to stay positive no matter what happens in life we always have to have a smile. We have to stay positive, look ahead and try to win football games and then try to enjoy the situation and win the game [vs Liverpool].
"We have to stick together and we have to spread the love to each other. Stick together and enjoy the ride and smile."
Previewing Liverpool clash
City will face Liverpool on Sunday in their first outing since the verdict was released. Haaland insisted it is always a special occasion when City face the Merseysiders and is relishing the prospect of another trip to Anfield.
"It’s always special to play against Liverpool especially with Pep and Klopp," he said. "I remember sitting in Molde, Salzburg and Dortmund and watching the games and how much they pushed each other, it’s always special there. I won there, drew there and lost, so it’s always special. Every Premier League game is different and every game against Liverpool has been special."
Media duties altered
Haaland was due to speak to the media ahead of Norway's clash with Portugal in the Nations League. However, his head coach, Stale Solbakken, chose to remove Haaland from media duties. Explaining his decision in the wake of the City charges verdict, Solbakken said: "We naturally want him to focus and have the best possible conditions to prepare."
"As everyone knows, there have been external discussions in the past day, but that has nothing to do with the UEFA Nations League or what we'll do next. Rodri's press conference yesterday is a perfect example; it wasn't about the UEFA Nations League either."
"So I think Haaland should focus on his task now. His task is to score for Norway, and I think everyone agrees that's what matters most. That certainly needs to be considered (media access to Haaland). Making this decision now doesn't mean he won't attend future press conferences. It's just that right now, we've decided to arrange it this way. I think he can handle it [the noise surrounding his club while on international duty] well."
Enzo Maresca will conduct his pre-Liverpool press conference on Friday.
