Pep Guardiola Doesn't Reject Manchester City To Have A Bad Season Despite Qualifying For The Champions League

Pep Guardiola admits Manchester City is having a bad season (Instagram/@mancity).

JAKARTA - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has rejected the notion that his team will be judged to have a special season if they manage to get a place in the Champions League.

The Citizens are taking a big step towards securing next season's Champions League qualifiers with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, thanks to Matheus Nunes' winning goal in the 94th minute.

Guardiola's men rose second in rank to third in the Premier League standings, still 18 points behind leaders Liverpool.

Thus, they will finish far from their start-of-season target of winning their historic fifth consecutive league title.

"This season is bad. It doesn't matter if we reach the final (FA Cup), or qualifying for the Champions League."

"The reality is decisive, what makes you feel good this season is the Premier League, not the Champions League, not the FA Cup. It is consistency in the Premier League."

"However, it happens, sometimes you have a bad season. The level of the teams (in the Premier League) is extraordinary," said Guardiola.

Guardiola, whose team will face Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semifinals on Sunday, April 27, 2025, celebrated the win by bending his hand and cheering for joy after Nunes fired a shot from a tight angle using Jeremy Doku's low cross through the penalty box.

"I'm very happy. I have to admit it," said Guardiola.

Finishing in the top five will greatly help end the season brilliantly--and Guardiola's celebration is proof of how important the win is.

"We have a lot of pressure for the club to qualify for the Champions League. If we win the next four games, it will be very important," Guardiola said.

The match looks set to end in a draw after Bernardo Silva's first-half goal was equalized by Marcus Rashford's penalty.

A tense battle for the Champions League is still possible with several teams competing into the final weeks of this season.

Only four points separated the third to seventh positions in the standings.

However, Manchester City's fate rests with themselves after a difficult season and makes the mission to defend the title collapse before Christmas. Plus, their hopes of winning the Champions League ended in the playoffs.

The victory saw Manchester City collect 61 points and higher than Nottingham Forest in fourth place and Newcastle United in fifth place. Chelsea are in sixth place and Villa, with 57 points, in seventh place.

Both Manchester City and Villa have played one game more than their top five rivals.

However, The Citizens know that a perfect record of the remaining four league games will guarantee a place in next season's Champions League.

It will be Manchester City's 15th consecutive season to qualify for the European tournament and will give an encouraging end to the campaign that ended Guardiola's recent dominance in English football.