Pep Guardiola was unflinching after City’s semi final win, insisting that even a Wembley triumph cannot rescue a season overshadowed by Liverpool’s title surge and an early European exit.
The manager lamented inconsistent league form, citing dropped points against mid table sides as evidence of standards slipping. Champions League elimination, he added, exposed a fragility rarely associated with recent City teams.
Guardiola reminded reporters that City measure success across every front, not in isolated trophies, and vowed a summer review of conditioning, tactical balance, and recruitment.
Players echoed the sentiment privately, acknowledging that the Cup run offers joy but also a reminder of missed benchmarks.
Even so, Guardiola sees the final as a platform to blood young talent under pressure, part of a wider strategy to refresh a squad that has carried heavy workloads for successive years.
Should City lift the trophy his immediate focus will turn to pre season plans aimed at reclaiming domestic dominance and challenging abroad, proof that the hunger remains undimmed despite one chastening year.
