- Man City in fourth successive FA Cup final
- Previous two have ended in defeats
- Guardiola only interested in looking forwards
Pep Guardiola has been clear that he has no interest in dwelling on Manchester City’s past failures in FA Cup finals.
The competition is one which the manager is very fond of, and he has lifted the famous trophy on two occasions.
However, Pep Guardiola might feel this figure should be higher. After all, Manchester City have fallen to narrow defeats in two consecutive finals.
Still, Saturday provides the team with another chance to win English football’s oldest tournament, as City face off against Chelsea.
Pep Guardiola is only looking forwards ahead of the FA Cup final
Asked about the past two FA Cup finals in his pre-match press conference, Guardiola was quick to change the subject to this season.
The City boss pointed out that his squad is not the same as recent years, with new players coming in to compete in the final for the very first time.
He said: “New players and it is forgotten. One off game against Chelsea, in another final we have to try and win the trophy.
On last year’s final, Guardiola added: “I congratulate Crystal Palace and I still congratulate them. It is in the past.”
Last season was a different situation for Man City
The Citizens were so far off the pace during the 2024/25 campaign, finishing 13 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League.
This season, however, Man City have been much better. Additionally, they have been exceptional during the business end of the year.
It has been four months since Guardiola’s team lost a domestic game. In that time period, they have won the Carabao Cup and maintained their position in the Premier League title race.
Therefore, instead of looking backwards to what could have been, now is the time to focus on winning this weekend.
City must learn from their mistakes against Southampton
Reflecting on last season’s errors might be a pointless exercise for the newer members of Man City’s squad, but they should have the Southampton game on their minds.
This was a match which saw the Saints take the lead in the second half, with late goals required from Jeremy Doku and Nico Gonzalez respectively to claim the win.
It was a poor performance from City that day, as they passed the ball too slowly and were easy to defend against for the most part.
Doku will be crucial again for the final, and Guardiola needs all his other players at their best to overcome a Chelsea side who need desperately require a victory to save their torrid season.
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