Pep Guardiola has admitted Manchester City will only have themselves to blame should the club fail to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League group-stage.
City sit in fourth place in the Premier League tables, 20 points adrift of leaders Liverpool, all set to surrender their title crown, having held the same for the last four seasons in an incredible period of dominance in English football.
Guardiola’s men also crashed out of the Champions League owing to a 6-2 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid over two legs – as the FA Cup remains the sole shot the Spaniard and co have at silverware this season.
The 2023 treble winners are in seemingly unfamiliar territory in the league table as they look to seal a top four finish to qualify for next season’s Champions League group-stage.
“We are in a position that is not ideal, but it’s not bad! It’s in our hands and we are going to fight for that,” Guardiola said in a press conference ahead of a trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
“It would not be the end of the world; we want to qualify for the Champions League – but if it doesn’t happen, it’s because we have not been good enough and the other teams deserve it!”
Injuries have been aplenty for City across the pitch this season, intertwined with a collective drop in form from plenty of Guardiola’s most trusted confidantes in several positions.
Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis have earned special praise from Guardiola for their impact since their January arrivals at Manchester City. Amidst a treacherous injury crisis in defence this season, the club boosted personnel by signing the pair midway through what has been a confusing, stop-start season.
Hailing from Uzbekistan and yet to impress many with his English speaking skills, Khusanov has earnt huge plaudits for his fearless displays at right back and centre half against difficult opposition – especially after a horror start to his City and Premier League debut in a 3-1 win in January.
A £181.5 million January outlay is expected to be just the beginning of a major 2025 overhaul for the Premier League champions, who are believed to be planning wholesale changes to the first-team squad under the stewardship of incoming director of football Hugo Viana.
“The impact of (Abdukodir) Khusanov was really, really good! And Vitor (Reis) has played really good as well against Plymouth (Argyle),” Guardiola added.
Nathan Ake has undergone surgery on his foot after coming off at half-time in City’s 3-1 FA Cup fifth-round win over Plymouth Argyle, joining John Stones and Manuel Akanji on the sidelines.
“But when we’re talking about eight, 10 weeks (as with Ake) – it’s a lot of time. We are lucky that the club took the decision to bring someone instead of doing it in summer, otherwise we would be in trouble,” Guardiola continued.