The former Barcelona and Bayern coach is not one for predicting the future but asked to respond to the post-match comments of Liverpool boss Arne Slot, who feels City will challenge strongly again next season, Guardiola said he hoped the Dutchman was right.
“I would like that,” he said. “I know what we have done as a team. It’s not enough but I recognise my team in the last two games in the Premier League – they were brilliant against both Newcastle and Liverpool.
“In Madrid it was not good enough in both games to try to go through but the pace today, the rhythm, the pressing, the solidarity for most of them playing in difficult positions, I approve it and it was really good.”
City’s eighth Premier League defeat of the campaign leaves them 20 points adrift of the champions-elect.
“How many points are they in front of Arsenal?” questioned Guardiola, when asked if City had been beaten by the title winners. “How many games have they lost?”
The answer, 11 and one, told its own story.
For City, the challenge is to claim a place in next season’s Champions League, for which, fifth is likely to be enough.
With 12 games remaining, they are fourth, three points behind third-placed Nottingham Forest – but with a better goal difference, but only five ahead of Fulham, who are 10th.
It is a less exhilarating task than trying to secure a record fourth successive title, or winning a historic Treble, which has been in front of them as the previous two seasons entered their final weeks, but Guardiola is convinced it will be enough motivation.
“If it doesn’t happen it’s because we were not good enough, not because we had a lack of hunger and desire,” he said.
“It’s so tight with four or five teams; Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, Aston Villa and the others are so good. It will not be easy but we will try.”
