Key Takeaways:
- Pep Guardiola asserted that Manchester City’s season has been successful, regardless of Premier League or FA Cup outcomes
- City will pause their title chase to make a fourth consecutive FA Cup final appearance against Chelsea this Saturday
- Despite missing out on the Champions League and trailing Arsenal in the league, City have already secured the League Cup
Season Assessment from Guardiola
Pep Guardiola has declared that Manchester City’s 2023-24 campaign should be deemed a success, whether or not the club manages to clinch this season’s Premier League trophy or the FA Cup, in which they will face Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday.
Having reached the FA Cup final for the fourth year running, City will momentarily press pause on their bid to overhaul current Premier League leaders Arsenal. While City customarily set their sights on both domestic and European silverware, they are facing the real prospect of missing out on both.
🚨🗣️ 𝗡𝗘𝗪: Guardiola: "A succesful season doesn't always depend on trophies. Sometimes you win 3 trophies but you played bad all season, sometimes you win 0 trophies but you have played a very good season." pic.twitter.com/q84eqpWgoq
— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) May 15, 2026
City’s European ambitions ended with a Champions League last-16 exit against Real Madrid in March. In the league, if Arsenal secure a victory over relegated Burnley at home on Monday, City will be five points adrift of the summit. They have the opportunity to cut that deficit to two with a win at Bournemouth in their penultimate match on Tuesday, but Arsenal would still have the chance to seal their first English league title since 2004 by defeating Crystal Palace on 24 May.
Domestic Successes and Targets
Despite setbacks, City have added to their silverware this term, having already lifted the League Cup after defeating Arsenal. As such, the prospect of a domestic cup double remains within reach at Wembley this weekend.
Guardiola remains unwavering in his appraisal of City’s achievements, stating, “It depends on the trophies you lift. Sometimes you lift trophies and the season has been successful. Sometimes, you lift and the truth is the season has been really, really bad.”
He continued, “I said a few weeks ago this season has been good. Really, really good.”
FA Cup Final Approach
Guardiola opted to start Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki, and Jeremy Doku on the bench during City’s recent win over Crystal Palace, but is now expected to field a full-strength side against Chelsea, prioritising the FA Cup ahead of the continued league title push.
“It is the final of the FA Cup. The message is there are two prestigious clubs at Wembley in the FA Cup final. Our fans make an incredible effort to come down to London. It is not cheap,” he observed. “We try to perform as much as possible to win. It is always the game-plan.”
| Competition | Stage Reached | City’s Result |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League | Two Rounds Remaining | Trailing Arsenal |
| Champions League | Last-16 | Eliminated by Real Madrid |
| FA Cup | Final | To play Chelsea |
| League Cup | Final | Won vs Arsenal |
Recent FA Cup Final Performances and Guardiola’s Outlook
Manchester City suffered defeat in the last two FA Cup finals against Crystal Palace and Manchester United, despite having previously overcome United in the 2023 final clash. Reflecting on the challenge ahead, Guardiola commented, “There’s excitement, of course. I hope we can do better than the last two times.”
He added, “Wembley is still a special place. Everything is so nice. The pitch is extraordinary. We are desperate to perform well.”
Guardiola’s Wembley Record and Future Prospects
The upcoming showpiece will mark Guardiola’s 24th visit to Wembley in charge of Manchester City. He remarked humorously that he is “so disappointed” not to have a stand named after him at the national stadium, saying, “So many times I have been there, at least a lounge or a box or something like that. Maybe I have to go 24 more times!”
With one year remaining on his contract and ongoing speculation about his future at the club, Guardiola has yet to sign a new deal that would take him beyond his current spell at the Etihad Stadium. Addressing reports regarding the potential departures of fitness coach Lorenzo Buenaventura and goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor, Guardiola replied with a smirk, “I extended the contract with them three more years,” followed by, “Nope.”
