Pep Guardiola calls season ‘bad’ even with Champions League within reach

LONDON – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has scoffed at suggestions that his team could look back on this season as a special one if they clinch a Champions League berth.

City took a big step towards securing European qualification with their 2-1 English Premier League win over Aston Villa on April 22, thanks to Matheus Nunes’ 94th-minute strike.

Guardiola’s men climbed two spots to third in the table, but are still 18 points behind leaders Liverpool and so will finish well short of their early-season goal of capturing a historic fifth consecutive league title.

“This season has been bad,” the City boss said.

“It doesn’t matter whether we reach the (FA Cup) final, or qualification for the Champions League. The reality is that what determines... what makes you feel the season is good is the Premier League, not the Champions League, not FA Cups. It’s that consistency in the Premier League.

“But it happens, sometimes you have bad seasons. The level of the teams (in the Premier League) is outstanding.”

Pundit Roy Keane thought the Spaniard’s summary of the season was unfairly negative.

“I think he’s been really harsh on his team there,” the former Manchester United midfielder said on Sky Sports.

“Had a tough start, obviously had a huge setback with Rodri (suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament), and they’ve not been at their very best.

“But I still think if they win the FA Cup and get in the Champions League, it’s not bad going. But it’s just because they set the standards so high over the last few years that any sort of drop-off kind of does look bad.”

City face Nottingham Forest in their FA Cup semi-final on April 27, while Crystal Palace take on Villa in the other semi on April 26, with both matches at Wembley.

City and Villa looked poised for a draw at the Etihad Stadium after Marcus Rashford’s 18th-minute penalty cancelled out Bernardo Silva’s seventh-minute opener.

Two weeks after announcing he would leave City at the end of the season, skipper Kevin de Bruyne had a solid night, creating six chances, with no other player creating more than two.

According to Opta, it was the 60th time that the Belgian has created five or more chances in a single league game, the most of any player since they started keeping records from 2003-04.

De Bruyne, who said last week that he was surprised not to be offered a new contract by the club, did not bother to walk around to City’s dugout when he was substituted for Manuel Akanji late in the game, instead perching himself on the advertising boards and offering instructions to his teammates.

City’s winner finally came in stoppage time, and Guardiola admitted that his wild celebration of Nunes’ goal felt strange because his team do not score as many late goals as their Premier League rivals.

He responded by launching into a frenzied fist-pumping dance of joy, accompanied by a primal roar that underlined the significance of the result.

City had been seconds away from a damaging result in the race to qualify for the Champions League, but now they control their own fate with four games left, thanks to an unusual feeling of last-gasp success.

“We’re not used to it. That belongs to Liverpool especially, how many times did they score late winners under Jurgen (Klopp) and Arsenal under Mikel (Arteta) as well? I’m not used to it, so I’m really, really happy,” Guardiola said.

“Football is emotion. For the fans, players, we have a lot of pressure for the club to go to the Champions League.

“The players behave unbelievable. We are so pleased. We’re in the last four games and we’re a Champions League contender for qualification.” REUTERS, AFP