Pep Guardiola says Metropolis at the moment are absolutely centered on ending the Premier League season strongly and qualifying for subsequent 12 months’s Champions League.
Wednesday’s elimination from Europe means we’ve got the Premier League and FA Cup left to compete for earlier than the summer time’s FIFA Membership World Cup.
We at the moment sit fourth within the top-flight with 44 factors from 25 video games and know we’ll play Plymouth Argyle within the fifth spherical of the FA Cup.
Whereas accepts that the defeat at Actual Madrid proves we’ve got not been at our greatest this season, the boss believes there’s nonetheless lots to play for over the approaching months.
“We’re in a not unhealthy second,” he started.
“When you see Madrid, they had been the higher staff and are a greater staff proper now, however I had the sensation lately within the Champions League we are able to compete with any staff.
“In earlier seasons in opposition to that staff – we really feel it they really feel it – we had been there and, in lots of points, higher than them. This time we could not undergo.
“Look now with two central defenders out for 2 months. This era within the Premier League is now massively necessary for us.
“We misplaced 5-1 in opposition to Arsenal however we performed very properly for 60 minutes. We weren’t secure.
“The video games are totally different, power of the opponent is totally different. We have to try to keep there and qualify subsequent season for the place we had been on Wednesday.”
Metropolis host Liverpool in a 16:30 (UK) kick-off on Sunday 23 February, with the guests at the moment in pole place to take this 12 months’s title.
After that, we’ll journey to Tottenham Hotspur subsequent Wednesday earlier than the fixture load lightens somewhat following the Champions League exit.
insists the powerful run of fixtures all through February should not be an excuse.
“The schedule is the schedule. I by no means complain about that. Generally you have got troublesome ones. We play this one, then Spurs.
“The time between video games after that can be six, seven days, which can be good to get better participant and put together.
“And we’ll see what we are able to do over the ultimate months of the season – we’ll give our greatest.”
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