Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has stated that the club’s season will be deemed a successful one if they can secure qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
The Premier League champions have endured a largely disappointing season, suffering elimination in the first knockout round of the UCL and they currently sit fifth on the league standings with 10 games to go.
The Cityzens were defeated 1-0 by fellow European contenders Nottingham Forest on Saturday at the City Ground, in a huge blow to their qualification hopes but Guardiola is confident of achieving the target.
“Qualification for the Champions League would be a big success but you have to win it,” Guardiola said.
“I want to qualify for the Champions League. It will not be good [if City miss out] but I saw what happened with other teams in the past in the Premier League.
Not being in the Champions League would be a problem but there are teams who didn’t qualify who have come back and are there.”
Manchester City who host sixth-placed Brighton and Hove Albion next weekend, will need to win as many games as possible as the race for European football heats up in the league.
“Whether there are five or six or seven [places], you have to win games”, he added.
“In sport, in knockout games sometimes details make the difference but in the Premier League over 38 games if you are not able to finish in the first four or five it is because we were not good enough.”
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
