Although winning the FA Cup would be a pleasant way to end their domestic campaign, manager Pep Guardiola stated on Friday that it would not be sufficient to restore Manchester City’s reputation after the Premier League champions lost ground this season.
Following nine losses earlier this season—more than in their previous two seasons combined—and elimination from the Champions League in the knockout phase playoffs, City slipped behind title rivals Liverpool and Arsenal.
Guardiola, the six-time league winner and manager of City, has not had a season without a trophy since his first year there, and he anticipates that the squad will return to its peak the next year.
“The FA Cup win does not give you the certainty to come back to what we were.
” That is a title, it’s a number.
“Obviously it would be nice to finish in that way, to take a little break before we go to the (Club) World Cup,” Guardiola told reporters.
“But I will not change… It can happen to all the teams in the world, not just Manchester City.
” It surprised me in the mid-season, eight years to arrive at that stage. Now we are third in the table.
“There are reasons why we dropped, maybe unexpectedly, too much.
“I have the feeling that next season will be better.
“We will compete better. We will be more who we are.”
Guardiola is aiming for a third consecutive final appearance, where City would play either Crystal Palace or Aston Villa, when they play Nottingham Forest in the second semi-final on Sunday at Wembley.
Forest, on the other hand, are a challenging opponent since Nuno Espirito Santo’s club is vying with City for a spot in the top five of the league and a chance to play in the FA Cup final for the first time in thirty-four years.
“It would be good to make a third (final), but we have a serious and tough, tough rival,” Guardiola said.
“The Nottingham Forest people and fans, it is a long time since they’ve played the semi-final of the FA Cup, but for many years we have been there in the competition.
“He (Espirito Santo) has been incredible, qualifying for Europa League with Wolves and now with Nottingham Forest. He has done a really good job.”
Guardiola stated that goalie Ederson had resumed his training, but he did not specify if the Brazilian, who has missed the last two games due to injury, will play again.
“I don’t know if he will be ready for this game. Hopefully for the next one,” he said.