Erling Haaland sends 'hungry' warning to Mikel Arteta and hails 'amazing' team-mate

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Erling Haaland could have been talking about trophies, he could have been talking about goals, he could have been talking about points. In fact, he was probably talking about them all.

“We are hungry for more,” he declared. That desire to get better and better as the Premier League season heads toward its climax is one of the few things on the Norwegian striker’s mind.

And that is because Haaland believes the mental game will be decisive, not only in the showdown with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium but in the whole of the title run-in. He explained: “I have always said that you need to take care of your body. But for me, the mind and being in a good state of mind is really important.

“Now, it is a huge game coming up. You should stay calm in your head and don’t think of too much, because that’s the worst thing that can happen.

“How I prepare? It’s to train good, it’s to prepare well tactically with the team and it is trying to be free in your mind. Don’t think too much, don’t overthink too much, think positively and try to get ready for the game mentally and physically.”

And Haaland believes the win at Chelsea last Sunday should help City have a confident approach to the game against the Premier League leaders. He went on: “The last game against Chelsea was an amazing game for us.

"We started a bit sloppy, but we finished really strong. We are doing good and we are hungry for more.

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"We need to continue and try to play our game as always. Don’t think too much, play engaging football, try to enjoy the game and win games.”

Haaland scored a hat-trick against Liverpool in the FA Cup a fortnight ago but has gone four Premier League games without a goal. And Brentford’s Igor Thiago, with 21 goals, has closed to within one of Haaland in the race for the Premier League’s Golden Boot.

Haaland said: “I think right now the Golden Boot is not something I think about. Of course, I want to win the Golden Boot every single year, but I prefer to win trophies and that is my main focus. I want to help the team in every single way, even if it is scoring goals or not, trying to help the team win games.”

And, of course, some of the goalscoring burden has been lifted from Haaland by the arrival of Antoine Semenyo. Haaland has been seriously impressed by his new team-mate.

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“Antoine is a really good guy and also a good player,” he said. “Look how important he has been for us since he came to the club in January. Also what he has been doing for Bournemouth in the last few years in the Premier League. It is good to have him with us because he is an amazing player and he will get even better.”

While a lot of people are saying the game against the Gunners is a title decider, Haaland insists there is a long way to go in the battle, regardless of the outcome. He went on: “There’s still plenty of games left and we have a final every single week now.

“Last week against Chelsea was a final, now against Arsenal it is another final. There are plenty of games to play and this is a really important one.”

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