Guardiola: “Even if we win the FA Cup, this season is a failure”
In what has been a disappointing season, the FA Cup remains Manchester City’s only realistic shot at silverware.
Pep Guardiola’s side has struggled so much this season that the City boss believes nothing can make up for it—not even lifting the FA Cup.
City’s troubles began early. Their first defeat of the 2024-25 season came on October 30, knocking them out of the League Cup in the second round. From there, a string of losses and draws all but ended their hopes of retaining the Premier League title. Last month, their Champions League campaign also collapsed, as they crashed out in the Round of 16 playoffs against Real Madrid.
Now, the FA Cup is their only remaining hope. But even that hasn’t come easy. On Saturday, City fell behind against second-tier Plymouth, before rallying to a 3-1 victory thanks to a brace from Nico O’Reilly and a goal from Kevin De Bruyne, securing their spot in the quarter-finals.
This marks City’s seventh consecutive FA Cup quarter-final appearance, but Guardiola insists that even lifting the trophy won’t erase their failures in other competitions.
“This season, we simply haven’t been good enough in two key competitions. That’s the reality. For the first time since I arrived, we failed to reach the Champions League Round of 16, and with 13, 14, or 15 games left, we’re already out of the Premier League title race. That has never happened before. This season has not gone well for us at all.”
City’s Premier League Dominance Fades
Guardiola took charge of Manchester City in 2016-17, winning his first Premier League title the following season. Since then, his side has dominated English football, winning the league in four consecutive seasons after Liverpool’s triumph in 2019-20.
This time, however, City’s title challenge collapsed far too early. After 27 matches, they sit fourth in the table with 47 points—a staggering 20 points behind league leaders Liverpool.
Even if they go on to win the FA Cup, this season will still be remembered as a failure for Guardiola’s City.
