Pep Guardiola rates own performance as ‘really poor’ after disappointing season

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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has rated his own performance this season as “really poor”.

City have endured a disappointing campaign by their lofty standards, having failed to mount a strong defence of their Premier League title and crashed out of the Champions League before the last 16.

A number of factors have contributed to City’s underwhelming return, including injuries to key players, most notably long-term absentee Rodri.

Yet Guardiola, winner of 18 trophies in his nine years at the Etihad Stadium, is not excusing himself from the reckoning, believing he should have done better.

Asked how he viewed his work, the Spaniard said: “This season? Really poor.

“The opponents never gave us a red carpet to win the titles that we won in the past. My duty was to overcome the situation much better than I have done.

“A few details are the reason why it happened and hopefully this will not happen next season. This is important.”

City’s readjusted targets for the remainder of the season are now to secure Champions League qualification and win the FA Cup. They then have the additional challenge of the Club World Cup over the summer.

Yet even if they succeed with those remaining aims, Guardiola feels it would not mask the overall disappointment he feels about the past year.

“Of course it would be nice to arrive in the final of the FA Cup and win it, and qualify for the Champions League,” said Guardiola, whose side travel to Bournemouth in the cup quarter-finals on Sunday.

“That would be a big success, but the season has been poor and it’s not going to change.

“Our standards and many things were not good, this is the reality. That’s not going to change for the fact we win one title or qualify for the Champions League.

“We’ll be happy, of course. We want to do it but the season has not been good.”