Champions League Secured, But Questions Remain

After salvaging a dismal season with a final-day, 2-0 victory away to Fulham on Sunday, City secured their spot among the top clubs in European club football and qualified for the Champions League for the fifteenth consecutive season.

However, the team's historic run of four consecutive English top-flight titles came to an end with their first trophy-less season in eight years, as Guardiola's team finished 13 points behind Premier League winners Liverpool. When asked if he thought his team will be able to compete with Arne Slot's team next season, Guardiola said he had no idea. He said that he never imagined they would win 6 Premier League championships in a row.

The Spaniard went on to say that people were wrong to expect him to predict that they would win the Premier League the following season. He said that the team had consistently ended with 80 points or more since he joined, but this season they only managed 71, which was well below their typical total. He attributed this to a number of factors.

According to him, football and sports provide you another opportunity, and they would seek to establish their worth. But the truth was that they were miles away from Liverpool, he said. He thought the following season would be better, but he was unsure of their reaction following the Club World Cup, particularly because they would be worn out from not having a holiday before the season began. He underlined that they would not be able to contend for the championships if they did not advance and improve their level. However, they would strive to get closer if they were fit.

Given Kevin De Bruyne's departure from City and Jack Grealish's uncertain future, some people think Guardiola must lead a significant reconstruction if the team is to contend for the championship the following season. However, Guardiola does not anticipate a major makeover at the Etihad this summer, despite having previously stated that he intended to reduce his team.

He stated that he didn't have that feeling. He mentioned that he had 24 players and that when he saw them training the other day, he thought to himself oh my gosh how good are they. Furthermore, he also noted that new players would be joining, especially in positions where the team was weaker, but he didn't think they needed many. He added that they already had a good squad and that he didn't want to bring in a lot of new players.

Furthermore, he said that they would see, as the summer was long. He also mentioned that there would be players who realized they didn't play and wanted to leave, but that was not his business at that moment. He added that he had qualified for the Champions League and the rest was the club's responsibility.