Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has offered an insight into his message to players following their hard-fought 2-1 victory over Southampton in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium.
The result secured City’s place in yet another FA Cup final, underlining their consistency in domestic competitions.
But rather than immediately turning attention to tactics or upcoming fixtures, Guardiola’s focus in the dressing room was notably different.
The Spaniard chose to prioritise recovery — both physical and mental — after what he described as an intense and emotionally draining period for his squad.
He revealed that players were granted a short break to reset before the decisive stretch of the campaign begins.
In a season defined by tight margins and relentless scheduling, Guardiola stressed the importance of stepping away from the game, even briefly, to maintain peak performance levels.
“Now it’s important we have three days off for the players. I told them, don’t think about football, rest,” Guardiola said per Hayters
“Now we start a season for five games plus the final, the FA Cup. Premier League, I would say it’s almost gone. Now we’re back second. We’ll see how we arrive.”
While the FA Cup final offers a tangible opportunity for silverware, City’s league ambitions remain uncertain. Sitting just behind Arsenal, with limited matches remaining, Guardiola acknowledged that the title race is no longer fully in their hands.
The manager’s emphasis on rest suggests he views freshness — rather than just form — as critical to navigating this decisive period.
Meanwhile, Guardiola was quick to reduce expectations, particularly around talk of a domestic treble.
Having already lifted the EFL Cup and with an FA Cup final secured, speculation has naturally grown about City adding further honours.
However, Guardiola dismissed such discussions as premature, insisting the focus must remain on the immediate challenges ahead.
“It’s too far away,” he said. “Before the final, before the Aston Villa game, I would tell you it was a chance. Now it’s far, far away.
“Six games, like every game we win, we’ll be there, we lose, it’s over.”
His words underline the fragile nature of success at the highest level, where momentum can quickly shift and even the strongest teams are vulnerable to setbacks.
Consistency over silverware talk
Beyond the immediate targets, Guardiola also offered a broader reflection on what truly defines a successful team.
While trophies often dominate discussions, he suggested that sustained excellence — consistently reaching the latter stages of competitions — is equally significant.
“People say how many Champions Leagues and how many this and that. What defines that club is when you win five Carabaos and you play four finals in a row in the FA Cup. That defines it.
“Always you have a bad afternoon, we say many times. A bad day, injuries, you cannot be there.
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“Always we were there. That’s what I said to the players. Imagine now we start next season and only one team for the next four years will arrive four times in the final of the FA Cup. Apparently it’s not easy.”
This perspective sheds light on the standards Guardiola has set at Manchester City. Reaching multiple finals in consecutive seasons is, in his view, a marker of sustained dominance and resilience.
It is not merely about winning once, but about remaining competitive year after year despite the inevitable challenges that arise.
Guardiola acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining such a level, pointing to injuries, fatigue and the unpredictability of single-match knockout ties.
“So we did it. We did it again. We are in the final again, we have time to prepare with our fans, with Chelsea v Leeds. Now it’s easy, rest mentally, physically because it has been a tough, tough week. A lot of emotions, and go for these five games.”
