Haaland Opens Up on Post-World Cup Football Overload: "We Play Too Many Games, We Need a Break Too"

"I think it's normal for these players to start feeling fatigued. Continuing with the national team after the club season isn't easy for most of them," Maresca stated, according to AFP. He was responding to comments made by his star striker, Erling Haaland, who raised the issue on his YouTube channel.

The Norwegian himself has three goals in three matches, but he wasn't part of the pre-season preparations. "A new season has started, and I didn't even have a pre-season. Physically, I'll get there if I avoid injuries, but you also need to be mentally fit. And that's not easy. We need to be excited to return, but we're playing too many games for that.

We can't get away from football because the seasons are getting longer. This is the first time I've been in this situation, as I played in the World Cup for the first time," Haaland explained.

The prolific striker is a huge football fan and is known to watch a lot of it as a spectator: "I'm not complaining, because it's positive that we can play football all year round. But sometimes, even we need a break."

Maresca's tenure at City began with a loss in the English Super Cup to Arsenal (0-3). Since then, they haven't lost, but the Italian coach remains cautious: "Players need to focus every day, and that's why it's very difficult to think about where we might be in February, March, or April. The important thing is that we improve with every match."

His team faces the start of the Champions League without midfielder Nico O'Reilly, who is dealing with a back issue, and forward Jeremy Doku is struggling with a calf injury. "Porto is a very, very good team. They have a clear game plan and are aggressive even without the ball. I congratulate them, but I hope we win tomorrow," Maresca added.