Match more about bosses than FA Cup semi

Going into today's FA Cup semifinal at Wembley, all the focus is on Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger and his future as Arsenal manager.

Can the 67-year-old Frenchman salvage something from a disastrous campaign? Will he sign a new contract and stay on beyond the end of this season?

It is all about Wenger, but even if nobody is focusing on Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, you can safely assume that the City boss will be scrutinising himself as he tries to live up to the billing of club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who was unequivocal when asked last June why he had appointed the 46-year-old Spaniard.

"The trophies," Al Mubarak said. "He has won every single club competition out there, from Champions League to [Spanish] La Liga, the Bundesliga, to the respective cups in both leagues he has played.

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"We are getting a proven winner, a passionate man, someone I think will be an incredible asset..."

Nobody at City would have imagined that, heading into the final month of Guardiola's first season, the only trophy still available to their superstar manager would be the FA Cup.

Without question, year one of Guardiola's "project" at City has been a disappointment.

Standards are high at the Etihad these days - Manuel Pellegrini was deemed to have under-delivered by winning the League Cup and reaching the Champions League semis last season, while his predecessor, Roberto Mancini, was sacked after his City team finished as runners-up in league and cup in 2013.

Guardiola was appointed by City owner Sheikh Mansour not to win the FA Cup and finish fourth, but to turn the club into one capable of winning the Champions League.

However, they look no nearer to doing that under Guardiola than they did under Pellegrini.

It is ironic that City go into today's semifinal with Guardiola's team suffering from the same flaws as those of their rivals, Arsenal.

For too long, Wenger has failed to correct his team's defensive deficiencies, opting instead to invest heavily in the likes of Alexis Sánchez and Mesut Özil.

Wenger, meanwhile, this week slammed suggestions Arsenal's FA Cup fate will have an impact when he decides his Gunners future, with the Gunners boss yet to reveal if he will extend his 21-year stay with the north London club.

With Wenger enduring constant calls for his resignation, it has been claimed a limp exit from the FA Cup might convince the Frenchman to quit when his contract expires at the end of the season.

The north Londoners have once again failed to mount a challenge for the Premier League title and suffered an embarrassing Champions League last-16 thrashing by Bayern Munich.

Even if they win the cup, failure to qualify for the Champions League would taint any Wembley celebrations.