Pep Guardiola has acknowledged that this season has been the most challenging of his 16-year management career, with Manchester City’s quest for the Premier League title faltering and an early exit from the Champions League.
The Spanish manager has enjoyed a largely successful tenure at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and City, but after four consecutive Premier League victories, his team’s performance took a downturn from late October.
Despite this, City still has the potential to secure a top-five finish and an FA Cup victory, along with another chance at silverware in the Club World Cup.
However, even if they manage to end the season positively, Guardiola’s overall assessment of this campaign will remain unaffected.
“It’s undoubtedly been the hardest one,” stated the 54-year-old, whose side was eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid during the knockout rounds.
“This season has been far more demanding. When you don’t win, it takes a greater emotional toll, affecting preparation, moods—everything.
“It’s certainly been tougher than prior seasons when we were challenging for titles.”
Injuries, particularly to midfielder Rodri, have played a significant role in City’s decline, along with several players experiencing a dip in form.
Guardiola, however, does not shy away from accountability.
“We faced numerous injuries, and we lacked energy,” he admitted. “We tried our best but simply couldn’t get the results.
“I failed to find a way to make them feel comfortable and help us secure wins.”
Heading into Saturday’s match against relegated Southampton, Guardiola, whose team currently sits in third place, recognised that City’s high standards have wavered.
“Nonetheless, even with those challenges, I would argue it could have been worse. I wasn’t adept enough to find the right solutions, but we haven’t thrown in the towel,” he remarked.
“We’re still battling to qualify for the Champions League, which is a significant prize, along with the FA Cup.“
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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