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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has firmly defended his team’s campaign, insisting that this season has been a resounding success regardless of the outcome of the Premier League title race or Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea.
City enters the weekend shifting focus away from their domestic title chase as they head to Wembley Stadium for a remarkable fourth consecutive appearance in the FA Cup showpiece.
While the club traditionally sets its sights on conquering both the Premier League and the Champions League, they find themselves on the precipice of missing out on both major objectives this year.
The squad’s continental ambitions were cut short following a round-of-16 exit against Real Madrid in March, and their domestic title defence remains under intense pressure from league leaders Arsenal.
If the Gunners secure a home victory against relegated Burnley on Monday, City will trail by five points, though they can narrow that gap back to two points with a win at Bournemouth on Tuesday.
However, the title race remains out of City’s hands, as Arsenal can mathematically clinch their first English league championship since 2004 by defeating Crystal Palace on the final day of the season.
Despite the looming risk of falling short in these primary competitions, Guardiola remains adamant that silverware alone does not dictate the true value of a campaign.
Having already secured the League Cup by defeating Arsenal earlier this season, City have a prime opportunity to complete a distinct domestic double this weekend.
The manager dismissed the notion that a lack of additional trophies equates to failure, reiterating that the underlying performance and quality showcased by his squad over the past several months have been exceptionally high.
Looking ahead to the clash at Wembley, Guardiola indicated he will field a full-strength lineup rather than compromising the historic cup final to prioritise the remaining league fixtures.
He acknowledged the immense financial and personal commitment made by travelling fans and expressed a strong desire to reverse the club’s recent fortunes at the national stadium, where they suffered consecutive final defeats in the previous two seasons.
Off the pitch, as speculation continues to swirl regarding his long-term future and the potential departure of key backroom staff ahead of the final year of his contract, Guardiola kept his composure, preferring to keep the focus entirely on the immediate silverware up for grabs.
