Ilkay Gündogan has admitted that not even winning the FA Cup will make up for Manchester City’s disappointing season as Pep Guardiola’s team prepare to take on Nottingham Forest for a place in the final.
City will aim to reach their third final in a row at Wembley on Sunday.
The FA Cup is their last chance of ending the season with some silverware, but after falling short in the Premier League and the Champions League, Gündogan accepts that lifting the trophy won’t make the campaign a success.
“The past has shown that it’s not the standard we set for ourselves,” Gündogan told ESPN. “We know things were not good enough from our side throughout the season. We can’t change that, we can only take it and be honest with ourselves. It’s important to admit to yourself.
“There are two targets left for us. One is obviously to qualify for the Champions League next year, which is vital for the club and also for us players as well.
“The other one is to try to get to the FA Cup final. We’re going back to Wembley for the semifinal and it’s always special.
It’s going to be tough but it’s going to be the only chance, with the Club World Cup, for silverware this season. We’ll try to go for it.”
City’s season fell apart during a disastrous run of form in November and December.
Forest’s visit to the Etihad on Dec. 4 was their only win in 13 games during a miserable period with Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku scoring in a 3-0 victory.
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