After sweeping aside Bayern Munich with two commanding displays across their Champions League quarter-final tie, Pep Guardiola has lamented Manchester City’s run-in for the title, which is intersected by their appearance in the FA Cup last-four.
Manchester City’s run-in record since Pep Guardiola’s arrival is fairly iron-clad, and they remain firmly in contention for a treble of trophies, which would be the first in the club’s history.
An unchanged starting XI in Munich on Wednesday evening for the third successive European game, signals fresh intent to prioritise the trophy that has so far evaded them.
Typically, the Spaniard has attempted to subvert expectations by deploying radical formations and position changes in recent seasons, which of course, has failed to translate to glory.
Nevertheless, they find themselves in the semi-finals for the third year in a row, the final four of the FA Cup and now well within reach of Premier League frontrunners Arsenal as the season draws to a close.
"Of course the treble is on." 🏆🏆🏆
Manchester City fans are confident their team can win all three remaining competitions this season 🔵 pic.twitter.com/5mCstI7dLT
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 19, 2023
They welcome Championship side Sheffield United on Saturday afternoon as Guardiola looks to take another step forward in their treble pursuit, and lift his second FA Cup trophy three years after his first.
Although the Cityzens undoubtedly possess the deepest talent pool in world football, it hasn’t stopped Guardiola from throwing mind games in Arsenal’s direction, saying he isn’t sure how his side will recover in time for the FA Cup this weekend, let alone the clash with the Gunners on 26th April.
Speaking after their Champions League triumph, he said: “Every time we play FA Cup after this competition we are exhausted, the team are exhausted, so I don’t know how we are going to recover to play against Sheffield [United].
“We are playing Saturday, we cannot play on Sunday because of course [Manchester] United have Europa League. It’s so demanding and I don’t know how far we will arrive because now it is a tough moment for the game on Saturday.”
Indeed, the jam-packed schedule appeared to take its toll on standout performer Nathan Ake, who was forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring problem.
Whether he will be declared fit for either of the aforementioned games remains unclear, but with Arsenal’s sole focus on staying one step ahead of Man City, the champions’ run-in is likely to have some effect between now and the season’s close.
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