Pep Guardiola has expressed that winning the FA Cup would not be enough to redeem Manchester City’s disappointing season, despite the club reaching the final. The statement came on the same day Liverpool secured the Premier League title, ending City’s reign as champions after four consecutive seasons at the top.
City’s struggle this season has been evident, with their dismal form for much of the campaign, handing Liverpool the opportunity to seal a record-equaling 20th top-flight title. Liverpool’s title victory was confirmed after their 5-1 demolition of Tottenham Hotspur, which ended around the same time as City’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Manchester City will now face Crystal Palace in their third successive FA Cup final on May 17, but Guardiola was quick to emphasize that this accomplishment, although significant, would not mask the issues with their season. Despite City’s FA Cup success, Guardiola insisted that their campaign could not be considered successful simply by securing a top-five finish in the Premier League or qualifying for the Champions League.
Guardiola was clear about his dissatisfaction with the overall season, stating, “This season has not been good. We are a thousand million points behind Liverpool, so come on, this season has not been good.” He highlighted City’s struggles in the Champions League as well, questioning their recent performances in the competition, saying, “Look at the Champions League. How many games did we win? One or two? And we have always been a machine in that.”
For Guardiola, the season’s defining factor remains consistency, particularly in the Premier League, where City have fallen far behind Liverpool in the title race. Currently, City are 21 points adrift of Liverpool and only one point ahead of Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, who both have a game in hand. While Guardiola acknowledged the club’s achievement in reaching another final, he underscored that the true measure of success is maintaining consistent form across the entire league campaign, which has not been achieved this time around.
Despite the setback in the Premier League, Guardiola remains focused on ensuring that City secure qualification for next season’s Champions League. The club is still on track to finish in the top five, but Guardiola stressed the importance of staying calm and recovering from what has been a tough season.
City will go into the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace as favorites, having beaten them 5-2 earlier in the month. However, Guardiola has warned against complacency, pointing out Palace’s impressive 3-0 win over Aston Villa in the semi-final. “We have four finals to play, and then an unbelievable game against Palace, and we saw yesterday how good they are,” said Guardiola, showing respect for Palace’s form and reiterating the need for City to stay focused.
Guardiola’s comments reflect his commitment to raising the bar for the club’s future performances. He is determined that Manchester City take the necessary steps to return to their best next season, after what has been a challenging and inconsistent campaign. The FA Cup and Champions League qualification remain targets, but they are not the silver lining Guardiola is looking for when assessing the overall picture of the season.
