‘70 teams were worse than us’ - Guardiola reflects on Man City’s season

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has downplayed the importance of potentially winning the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, insisting that triumph in the tournament will not erase the disappointment of a trophyless 2024-2025 season.

City endured a challenging campaign, finishing third in the Premier League and failing to reach the latter stages of the Champions League.

Speaking to reporters ahead of City's Club World Cup match against Al Ain on Monday, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Guardiola emphasised his focus on the team's performance within the tournament rather than the ultimate prize.

"I said many times, the season was not good," Guardiola admitted, reflecting on a season where City ended their unprecedented run of four successive English top-flight titles, finishing 13 points behind champions Liverpool.

He continued, "When you finish third in the Premier League to qualify for the Champions League, it means 70 teams were worse than us."

City's domestic struggles also saw them lose 1-0 to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final, marking their second consecutive FA Cup final defeat.

"We played the FA Cup final in an incredibly high level against a really good team," Guardiola noted.

He added, "The disappointment was the Champions League, we did not do really good. It was tough to handle it."

City were eliminated from the Champions League in the knockout phase play-offs by Real Madrid, losing 3-6 on aggregate.