Pep Guardiola has installed the building blocks for next season in recent weeks | OneFootball

As Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest at Wembley to secure their place in this season’s FA Cup final, Liverpool clinched the 24/25 Premier League title with a 5-1 win over Tottenham. Arne Slot’s side’s title win ended Manchester City’s reign as Premier League champions. But as we’ve seen over the past eight matches Pep Guardiola has the building blocks in place to see his side rise up the table next season. That is something to take from what has been a disappointing 24/25 for Manchester City.

Speaking after his team’s win over Nottingham Forest yesterday Pep Guardiola explained that his team’s season hasn’t been successful despite them making the FA Cup final. When asked if this season could be classed as successful if his team wins the FA Cup, he said: “Noooooooo. This season has not been good. We are a thousand million points behind Liverpool. it’s not good. Look at the Champions League. We won one game? Two games? We were always a machine, and we have not been good but the damage will be minor. It is not going to confuse that the season has been good. The club have to take the right decisions so next season will be better.”

To get back to the top of the Premier League Pep Guardiola has shown that the building blocks are there for Manchester City. Over the past eight matches, the stability and control have returned to Pep Guardiola’s side. Those are key elements in City’s success. Although they aren’t yet the finished product, the fight is strong in this City squad. They showed that yesterday as they rode their luck to withstand Nottingham Forest’s second-half fightback. That earned them a place in the FA Cup final, but it also showed there are building blocks to take into next season for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Summary.

Manchester City can claim silverware this season. They have the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace to look forward to next month. They also have to secure Champions League qualification for next season. But what they have shown over the past eight matches is that they have the solid foundation in place to challenge again for the Premier League title. They must learn the lessons from this season and use the positives from recent weeks to attempt to catch Arne Slot’s side.

Based on what we have seen of late, Manchester City isn’t far away, and if they get this summer right, Pep Guardiola and his team should be back contending for the Premier League title, and that’s the challenge that lies ahead.