It is a secret of the Polichinelle but Manchester City is going through a total crisis this season which threatens to upset its status as a giant of world football. The team, accustomed to dominating the Premier League and shining on the European scene, is experiencing a series of counter-performance that worry its supporters as much as its leaders. The tension was palpable every month that passed, especially because of the multiple injuries that strike its key players, making the team cohesion difficult to maintain. The Spanish coach, Pep Guardiola, who had been able to make Manchester City a well -oiled machine, now seems to be confronted with challenges that he had not anticipated, in particular this inability to manage the depth of his workforce while preserving constant results. The club is in a situation where each match becomes crucial, and the pressure to obtain quick results is becoming more and more intense with a possible FA Cup as a consolation – the Sky Blues having qualified for the semi -finals after their victory against Bournemouth. Without forgetting the Club World Cup that will take place this summer in the United States.
Interviewed by the Canal Football Club, Pep Guardiola returned to this hectic campaign at the head of the Cityzens: “It is not always our responsibility. It was a difficult season for us. We cannot deny it. We had 9 incredible years here in Manchester. So it should happen sooner or later. There is no team that can win every season in all competitions, for a single reason, it is because it is impossible. It is simply a question of continuing to learn from what we live and to move forward. Football always gives you an opportunity“He said. In addition to the difficulties in the field, Manchester City is plunged into a media and legal storm which threatens to harm its image and its financial stability. The shadow of the UEFA investigation concerning possible violations of financial fair play weighs heavily on the club, with rumors of sanctions that can go as far as excluding European competitions.
Guardiola's complete assessment
Internal tensions are accentuated by increasing criticisms of management and sports management of the club, thus strengthening the feeling of total crisis, but Pep Guardiola wanted to put the crisis into perspective: “There are many reasons: injuries, a lack of determination … There are many different circumstances that explain it. As a manager, I failed to reverse the situation, but it happened. You have to accept and learn, because it was a good lesson for us this season, and to move forward. We have lost many important players over very long periods. Not just Rodri but also many central defenders, many attackers. It's the truth. We have always managed to solve this problem in the past, but this season, I could not help the team reach the level at which we were in the past. The next step? Winning is the goal. Not more complicated than that. We now have a match in FA Cup and after nine games, so a match at a time, one stage at a time». To date, Manchester City is in a precarious position, where each misstep could accelerate a brutal fall in its football empire.
To illustrate the growing pressure on Manchester City and the importance of its performance in the Champions League, Pep Guardiola stressed the difficulty of maintaining such a level of success: “The Champions League, everyone wants to participate. You know, people take this for granted, as if we had qualified for the Champions League during the last 11 consecutive years easily. We are the only team in England to have done so. Everyone said “Ah for them it's easy, they will go back, it is acquired, it will happen”. Today, they realize how difficult it is. So, people asked me, “what happened this season, Pep?” And I always answer them “What happened in the past, my friend?”. What happened in the past compared to this season to make the difference. But that makes us realize how difficult everything is in the world of football. It gives value to what we have done, and what we may do in the future». Pep Guardiola hopes to hear the wounds as much as possible at the end of the season to start again next season.
