Guardiola rues Man City’s ‘bad’ season even with Champions League in reach

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola 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 Premier League win over Aston Villa on Tuesday thanks to Matheus Nunes's 94th-minute strike.

Guardiola's men climbed two spots to third in the league table, 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,” Guardiola said. “It doesn't matter whether we reach the [FA Cup] final, or qualification for the Champions League.

“The reality is what determines if, 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 said Guardiola'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 the Sky Sports broadcast.

“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 that was always going to happen. 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 travel to Nottingham Forest for their FA Cup semifinal on Sunday, while Crystal Palace host Aston Villa in the other semi on Saturday.

City and Villa looked poised for a draw at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday after Marcus Rashford's penalty cancelled out Bernardo Silva's goal in the first half.

Two weeks after he announced he would leave City at the season's end, 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 the Belgian created five or more chances in a single league game, the most any player had done so from the 2003-04 season onwards.

De Bruyne, who said on Sunday 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 Tuesday's game, instead perching on the advertising board and offering instructions to his teammates.

The teams appeared to be heading for a draw after Rashford's penalty cancelled out Silva's goal, but Nunes fired home Jeremy Doku's cross to put City firmly on course for a spot in Europe's elite club competition.

City climbed to 61 points, but Pep Guardiola's men have played one more game than the three teams directly behind them. Villa, who have lost 15 successive games at the Etihad Stadium, remained seventh on 57 points in the crowded top of the table.

Silva put City ahead in the seventh minute when Omar Marmoush raced by Villa right-back Matty Cash before cutting the ball back for an onrushing Silva. Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez got his gloves on the ball, but not enough to stop it from sailing into the back of the net.

Rashford, who had a shot clatter off the post 18 seconds into the game, pulled Villa level from the penalty spot in the 18th, after VAR determined Ruben Dias clipped Jacob Ramsey from behind with his right leg. Rashford calmly sent keeper Stefan Ortega the wrong way before slotting.

Reuters