Pep Guardiola declares Man City must prepare for ’10 finals’ after loss to Nottingham Forest left his side facing a fight to finish in the top four

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola declared that his team had ’10 finals’ remaining after their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League were dented by a 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the only goal in the 83rd minute to secure a result that took Forest four points clear of City in the Premier League table after 28 rounds of fixtures.

City ended Saturday’s game in fourth place, but Chelsea will knock Pep Guardiola’s men down to fifth on Sunday unless Leicester City produce a shock win at Stamford Bridge.

Speaking to TNT Sports after his side’s ninth league loss of the season, Guardiola seemed please with his team’s performance at the City Ground.

‘We controlled the transitions really well,’ he said. ‘We created not a lot of chances, but defended really well. In the first half, we had a chance to shoot, but we were not precise. At the end, we won the transition, and we lost the easy ball.’

He added: ‘They defended really well, and we could not find the precision in the last moment. We could not do it.

Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the only goal of the game to move Forest four points above City

‘We conceded few [chances]. I think we conceded, but really, really few. So, defensively, it was really good. Maybe the rhythm was not the highest one, but the game was tight.’ 

On his side’s quest to secure a place in Europe’s top competition by finishing in the top four, Guardiola declared: ‘We have 10 games to qualify. We have to win games to qualify, and we’re going to the next one.’

Asked by Jules Breach if Forest’s superb season was evidence that the Premier League was now harder than ever, Guardiola said: ‘We knew it.

‘We knew it before we arrived, and of course, the Champions League, the Premier League, every time, every season, it’s better and better.’

City have competed in the Champions League for 14 consecutive seasons. Prior to that, their only appearance in the European Cup had come back in the 1968-69 campaign.

Guardiola was unable to lead his team past the playoff round this season but he famously oversaw a Champions League triumph back in 2023.

If City fail to qualify for the Champions League then they will likely enter next season’s Europa League – a competition they last found themselves in back in 2012 after former manager Roberto Mancini could only deliver a third-placed finish in the Champions League’s group phase.

Speaking as part of TNT Sports’ post-match analysis on Saturday, presenter Lynsey Hipgrave asked of City: ‘Do they need the Champions League in terms of the rebuild that they’ve got coming up in the summer?’

Guardiola led City to Champions League glory in 2023 but they are in danger of not qualifying for next season’s edition of the top European tournament in club football

The City boss spoke to his players on the pitch following Sunday’s defeat at the City Ground

Former City defender Joleon Lescott replied: ‘I think the club needs it. Of course, you do if you want to attract top, top quality players. You want to play in the Champions League.

‘Of course, [Pep could still attract players without Champions League football]. Of course, he would, because they’re still going to be competitive regardless of whether they are in the Champions League or not.

‘They’re still going to be one of the favourites to win the league, FA Cup, League Cup, even if they’re not in the Champions League or are in the Europa League.

‘But in regards to attracting the elite players, it’s Champions League football that is the attraction.’

Former Manchester United and England centre back Rio Ferdinand then quipped: ‘That’s the only thing that Pep thinks about. He’s never heard the other music. He’s only ever heard Champions League music. He doesn’t know what that is (the Europa League anthem). He wouldn’t know where he is.’

Lescott added: ‘Thursday nights aren’t known to Pep.’

Rio then concluded: ‘He wouldn’t understand how to fathom that. And I don’t think they’ll be expecting that from this team because of the quality they have and the experience they have.’