Manchester City’s FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United earlier this year was in part due to the Premier League champions’ title celebrations leaving them “hungover”.
That is according to manager Pep Guardiola, who touched upon the club’s disappointing ending to the previous season just a matter of days after making history in English football once again under their Catalan coach.
Manchester City secured yet another Premier League title and fended off competition from Arsenal for the second consecutive season, making it four English top-flight crowns in a row for the club and becoming the first side to ever reach such a feat.
However, whilst there was further opportunity to add to Pep Guardiola’s remarkable haul of silverware during his time at the club since first arriving in 2016, it seems as though the club’s celebrations of their top-flight success went a little too far and spilled onto the pitch.
Speaking after Manchester City’s Carabao Cup exit to Tottenham on Wednesday night, Pep Guardiola explained to reporters that his side were suffering from a hangover against Erik ten Hag’s squad at Wembley in the FA Cup final.
Reacting to the lengthy run that City went on without a defeat, Guardiola said, “Congratulations! This is the news! The news is not lose, the news is for how long of a time we didn’t lose.”
He continued, “Of course, in the FA Cup final we were a little bit hungover, but it’s a good news!
“I don’t like to lose, but you know, this competition is a little bit different and I like to see the team how we behave, the courage, and the solidarity and how good we play, and still I like it!”
With the FA Cup still to come for Manchester City this season, entering at the third round stage in the new year, Pep Guardiola will want to put together an even stronger pursuit of the illustrious competition this time around.
City will also be hoping that their injury situation is in a far more positive state by the time the competition comes around for the club, despite entering the fray at the back end of the notoriously challenging festive period.
In the immediate term, City face a further three away trips in Premier League and Champions League competition before the final international break of the calendar year, with an injury list consisting of eight players in the run-up to Friday’s media conference held by Guardiola.