**Pep Guardiola**fired back at the media to declare "nothing personal" is behind the absence of Jack Grealish as he saw **Man City**claim third place in the table at the end of the **Premier League**season.
The Citizens have come up short of their typical standards, but they have at least booked a seat at the **Champions League**table. Now, all eyes are on their attempted rebuild — and who stays or goes.
‘It is a relief’
It has been a dramatic drop off for Man City, who earned 20 fewer points than they picked up last season and lost a grip on the champions' crown after four straight seasons as table toppers. However, it is still a weight off the shoulders for Guardiola to have a place in elite European competition.
*“It is a relief because of qualification for the Champions League. I know perfectly when you are in January and February, and you feel cannot win the Premier League or fight for the Premier League there can be the tendency I don't fight anymore. Even in the incredible difficulties, go there go there and finish third is really nice it's not perfect but we will be next season in the Champions League.”*
The Citizens could not avenge the 2-1 loss at Wembley in the Manchester derby last year when they faced Crystal Palace the previous weekend. Thankfully for the team, it did not kill their momentum.
“Sometimes the challenges depends on difficulties and this season have been a lot of difficulties and We played an incredible FA Cup final and you lose but we were there and at the end we had to find the season even better but you cannot win all the time but even no win all the time what is the damage the damage is not finished and it's happened and we know exactly what happened inside.”
Indeed, the team have banked 23 points from an unbeaten run of nine fixtures since the start of April. They fixed their faltering form at the right moment, as the manager mentioned he had been a bit worried that the club might not qualify for the **Champions League**for the first time since 2010.
*“In January, February still we didn't work well, but I think that during the last games we did well, except for the first half against **Southampton.*There was an incredible low block, and I did not have players to go one against one. The rest of the games we have behaved really good in the spirit that we had in the past. But, of course, we missed a few things but hopefully next season we can solve it.”
‘I rotated. That was it.’
A helping hand will be the fitness of his key players. Ballon d’Or winner **Rodri**has been missing for eight months due to an ACL injury in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal. Phil Foden, the reigning PFA Player of the Year, endured a stop-start season, being absent for most of April with ankle ligament damage.
*“I don't doubt with Rodri there and **Phil Foden*there and everybody there that we could compete. I'm not saying winning because they deserve it completely, Liverpool to win, but we would have been better.”
The status as a peripheral player persists for Jack Grealish. He did not kick on from scoring for the first time in over a year in the FA Cup against Salford City in January, appearing only seven times for the Citizens in the league in 2025. His future with the Man City camp seems far from certain.
“Jack is an unbelievable player that had to play football every three days. Did not happen last season or last season. He needs that with us or another place. That is a question of the agent and the club.”
His only minutes this month were off the bench against Bournemouth in the last home game of the campaign. But Guardiola gave the impression the attacker was only absent due to a desire to rotate.
*"In the **FA Cup*final, I rotated. Rico Lewis was not there, James McAtee not there and Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis and Claudio Echeverri was there. Today the same. I tried to move the players around and today it was Jack. That was it. There’s no more than that as an explanation.”
Pushed further for an answer about Grealish, Guardiola snapped and said it was not a personal matter.
“Who said I'm not happy with him? Rico Lewis for me one of the favourites and was not selected. James McAtee against Aston Villa was exceptional and against Wolves was exceptional and today was not selected too. Why don't ask me about McAtee for example? It's not about anything personal.”
‘Next season we will be better’
The Spaniard spoke more about the hurdles that he must handle to try and return **Man City**to the summit next year. He pointed out that the teams in the middle of the table are now much closer to the English elite: a lower tally at the top should not take attention away from the hardship week to week.
*“Look who was the winner. Liverpool with 83 or 86 points before to win the Premier League. You have to have 95, 96, 97 [points] because it's the middle class rise a lot and it's more difficult to win games. We have to rise our level for the next season otherwise we will not compete until the end to fight for the titles.*
*“Look the Fulham or Wolves play at home and Brighton or Bournemouth. They're exceptional teams, exceptionally tough. In the end we were not good enough to win the Premier League.”*
For many observers, City are going through a major rebuild. They spent the best part of £200 million in the winter window to try and salvage the scraps of a season that was falling apart at the seams but still suffered a trophyless campaign for the first time since Guardiola's debut in the dugout in 2017.
Yet, Guardiola was adamant that his side is not too far away from competing for the top honours.
“Signings aren’t the most important thing. The most important thing is how we create our connection, our vibes. I see 24 players yesterday in the training and I said how good they are so I don't have that feeling but new faces will come, especially in positions we’re weaker, but I don't think we need much. I don't think we need a lot because we have a good squad, and I don't want a large amount of players.”
But he is not nailing his flag to the mast that the Citizens will outdo **Liverpool**in the race for the title. He is waiting to see what happens this summer and the state of the squad after the Club World Cup.
“I don't know. Right now, we are miles away for them. So, how many points they in front of us? 14, 15, points, 16 points. So, that is the reality. The reality. But I had the feeling next season will be better.”