- Pep Guardiola has made his post-final stance clear
- Man City beat Chelsea 1-0 to win the FA Cup
- The Premier League title race remains the immediate focus
Manchester City’s FA Cup celebrations were cut short almost as quickly as they started, with Pep Guardiola already looking beyond Wembley and towards the final week of the Premier League season.
The FA Cup had already tested City’s focus before the kick-off on Saturday. The Sky Blues had admitted that Friday’s journey from Manchester to London was a nightmare due to travel problems.
Likewise, the 1-0 win was a job well done for Pep Guardiola, considering the overall situation at the Etihad.
However, the Premier League title race still leaves no room for emotional release following the FA Cup title win.
Pep Guardiola shuts down Man City celebrations
Speaking after Man City’s FA Cup final win over Chelsea, Guardiola made it clear that his players would not be celebrating properly yet.
The Citizens still have two games to go in the English top-flight. Likewise, the Catalan manager wouldn’t want his players to make any decisive mistakes at this stage of the competition.
“Home [now] – not even one beer. Next Monday, after Aston Villa, we’re going to celebrate it with the women’s team”, Guardiola said.
He added, “The club said that to me [with] some parade in Manchester because we must celebrate with both teams.”
City repeat rare domestic cup double under Guardiola
The FA Cup also gave Guardiola another piece of English football history. The FA Cup winners have now won the domestic cup double twice under the Catalan manager.
They first achieved this in the 2018/19 campaign, when they won the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and the Premier League, making it part of a domestic treble.
Nevertheless, they became the second club to win the FA Cup and EFL Cup twice in the same season. Only Liverpool has replicated this feat as many times as City.
Guardiola also stands alone as the first manager in English football history to complete the domestic cup double twice.
Guardiola can make history again
Man City still have a shot at the Premier League title despite lagging behind rivals Arsenal. While the Gunners might not slip up, Guardiola wants to be ready just in case.
This means giving it their all in the next two games and scoring as many goals as possible against the Cherries and the Lions.
Regardless of the result, the club wants to give it their all in a final push for the English title. They have already won a domestic cup double, hence they have nothing to lose at this point.
However, winning a treble for the third time would be in Guardiola’s interests. It will make him the first manager in English football to win the domestic treble twice.
