Managers in most positions would embrace the winning success and European League placement along with major cup opportunities, but Guardiola is not typical. Pep Guardiola exists beyond the standards of regular team managers.
The victory that Manchester City secured against Aston Villa with Matheus Nunes’ late goal did not bring any celebration from Guardiola since he considered the entire season “bad.” The period served as a whole has been classified as “bad” by him.
He expressed that the season has been negative. According to Guardiola, the journey’s significance stands apart from FA Cup participation or Champions League qualification. The Premier League stands as the primary factor that determines how successful a season proves to be. Team performance during the Premier League defines the actual quality of the season, according to Guardiola.
Guardiola made a difficult declaration about the season as City pushed up to the third spot while maintaining their Champions League qualification status. Premier League title loss causes intense concern for Pep Guardiola.
And it’s easy to see why. Liverpool leads their competition by 18 points, thus breaking City’s ability to defend their Premier League title for a fifth consecutive time.
“But it happens, sometimes you have bad seasons. The level of the teams (in the Premier League) is outstanding.”
But not everyone sees it the way he does
“I think he’s been harsh on his team there,” the former Manchester United midfielder said on the Sky Sports broadcast. “Had a tough start, obviously had a huge setback with Rodri (suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament), and they’ve not been at their very best.
“But that was always going to happen. But I still think if they win the FA Cup and get in the Champions League, it’s not bad going. But it’s just because they set the standards so high over the last few years that any sort of drop-off kind of does look bad.”
In Tuesday’s match, things were tense. City went ahead with a goal from Bernardo Silva, but Aston Villa came back with a penalty from Marcus Rashford. It looked like a draw until Nunes popped up in added time to seal the win.
One player who stood out was Kevin De Bruyne. Even though he’s set to leave the club at the end of the season, he played with heart, creating six chances, more than anyone else on the field. Stats show this is the 60th time he’s created five or more chances in a single game. That’s more than any player in Premier League history since the 2003-04 season onwards..
Interestingly, when De Bruyne was subbed off late in the game, he didn’t walk back to the bench. Instead, he perched himself on the side of the field, giving instructions to his teammates like a coach. It’s clear he still cares deeply about the club.
Now, City turn their attention to the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday, where they’ll face Nottingham Forest. If they win that, they’ll be just one game away from another trophy.
Still, even with all that in front of them, Guardiola’s message is clear: without the Premier League title, this season just doesn’t feel right.
