Pep Guardiola often handles his press conferences at Manchester City very, very well.
The Spaniard possesses an aura of confidence and cheekiness when speaking to reporters that befits his status in the game, where he currently sits as one of the greatest managers football has seen, if not the greatest.
Now – however – Pep Guardiola has risked embarrassing himself at Manchester City with a comment that Arsenal fans even mocked Mikel Arteta for making in December 2024.
Pep Guardiola clutches at straws with FA Community Shield remark
After losing the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace, Manchester City, who have given up on Florian Wirtz, will end the season without silverware for the first time since the 2016/17 campaign, but not in the eyes of the 54-year-old.
Ahead of the Premier League clash against Bournemouth on Tuesday night, Guardiola argued: “They said, Manchester City, for the first time since 2017, didn’t win one title. It’s not true. We won the Community Shield. I’m sorry.
“When Manchester City win the Community Shield, it’s not a title. When another team wins the Community Shield, it’s a title.
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“We won the Community Shield, we were in the final of the FA Cup, we’re fighting (for UEFA Champions League qualification). Saying that, is it a successful season? No, we didn’t compete, we were not consistent.”
Now, even Arsenal fans mocked Arteta – as Goal covered at the time – when the Spaniard defended his trophy record by including two FA Community Shields.
The 43-year-old said: “The Charity Shield as well twice, no? So it’s three (trophies). We need more. We want more and we want the big ones as well.”
Manchester City do not need to stoop to this level
It was only as recently as 2023 that Guardiola, who could soon land Rayan Cherki, guided Manchester City to a historic treble, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League, so to claim the FA Community Shield – which is effectively a glorified friendly – as an achievement is just not worth it.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
The man from Santpedor has nothing to prove to anybody after a simply remarkable time in English football, and comments like this suggest he is starting to feel the pressure, with Manchester City amazingly yet to secure UEFA Champions League qualification for next season.