Guardiola: Manchester City ‘Nearly’ Getting Back To Best

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes his side are “close” to rediscovering their best form, despite their comprehensive Champions League defeat at the hands of Real Madrid.

City’s aspirations of replicating their 2023 European triumph were dashed this week as the Spanish giants secured a 5-1 aggregate victory in the last 16.

However, the setback hasn’t dampened Guardiola’s spirits. He’s seen enough in recent months to remain optimistic, even if he acknowledges there’s still a gap to bridge at the very highest echelons of the game.

The Citizens have an immediate opportunity to secure the season’s first major piece of silverware this Sunday when they face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final. Furthermore, they haven’t given up hope of catching the Gunners in the Premier League title race.

“I have the feeling that in many things it is just underneath, it will flourish,” stated Guardiola, whose team have also progressed to the FA Cup quarter-finals. “I have the feeling that it is close.”

He added: “In other things we need a little bit more time to realise, and for the players to realise what we need to be a strong team in many departments, but in most of the things we are close.”

Guardiola feels City’s progress this season has already surpassed their underwhelming 2024-25 campaign, regardless of how the current season concludes.

“Last season we arrived in the final of the FA Cup against Crystal Palace. We played really well but there were many things behind the scenes we could not control and the season was not good,” he explained.

“Even if we had won against Crystal Palace, the season had not been good. Many things happened that were not what a team should be.”

He continued: “I don’t know what’s going to happen but this season has been more than decent. Most of the time we have been a team that is not perfect but is good.”

The next crucial step, in his view, is to achieve consistent performance throughout an entire season.

“The other things to be aware of, maybe for the type of players that we have, is to do what we need to be consistent for 11 months in important games,” Guardiola remarked. “The gap is a little but in many aspects we are an extraordinary team.”

When pressed on the specific elements still missing, Guardiola offered a cryptic response at a press conference: “I won’t tell you but I know it and the players know it.”