Tough times for Manchester City 😬
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 26, 2024
Are they really going to miss out on a Champions League spot? 😧 pic.twitter.com/4PsOomos09
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has issued a stark warning about the club’s Champions League prospects, admitting the defending European champions are “at risk” of failing to qualify for next season’s competition.
Speaking ahead of City’s Boxing Day clash with Everton, Guardiola emphasized both the financial and sporting ramifications of potentially missing out on Europe’s premier tournament for the first time in 14 seasons.
“Financial is an issue, of course it is,” Guardiola stated. “Now we’re at risk, of course we are, definitely. When I said before [this could happen], people laughed.”
The Spanish manager’s concerns stem from City’s current position in the Premier League table, where they sit seventh, four points behind fourth-placed Nottingham Forest. This represents an unusual predicament for the reigning treble winners, who have consistently secured Champions League qualification over the past decade.
Guardiola pointedly referenced the historical precedent of dominant English clubs falling from grace, noting, “It happens with clubs in this country. They were dominant for many years and, after many years, not qualifying for the Champions League.”
“The one team that has been in the Champions League for the past 11 or 12 years has been Man City… if we don’t qualify, it is because we don’t deserve it.
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