Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has acknowledged that the reigning Premier League champions could face serious financial challenges next season if they fail to secure Champions League qualification, Soccernet.football reports.
The Cityzens’ abysmal form has seen them slip from second to seventh place in the Premier League. As a result, Guardiola has had to shift his focus from competing for the title to changing the fortunes of his team and inspiring an upturn in form.
Man City have suffered six defeats from their last eight PL outings and their hopes of securing a top-four finish are slowly fading. Guardiola admitted that missing out on Europe’s top competition could have major consequences for the club.
Related Post
“Financial is an issue, of course it is, but it’s not just that,” Guardiola said as per BBC Sport. “Now we’re at risk. Of course we are.
“When I said before [that this could happen], people laughed. It’s presumptuous: us winning the Premier League.
“They said: ‘Ah, qualifying for the Champions League is not a big success’. I know it [can happen], because 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 [sic] has been Man City… if we don’t qualify it is because we don’t deserve it. Because we were not prepared, because we had a lot of problems and didn’t solve those problems and find a way to win games.
“There are a lot of contenders to be there. For every club it is so important and if we are not winning games, we will be out.”
City will be in Premier League action next when they host Merseyside underlings Everton at the Etihad Stadium in Boxing Day’s early kick-off.
