Guardiola: My City players never gave up | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola praised both the mentality and durability of his players after watching City seal our place in next season’s UEFA Champions League with a 2-0 win at Fulham on the last day of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.

A spectacular first half overhead kick from Ilkay Gundogan along with a second half penalty from Erling Haaland saw the Blues claim all three points at Craven Cottage to clinch third place in the table.

That was enough to secure our ticket into Europe’s elite club competition for a remarkable 15th season in a row.

As he reflected on the result, the achievement and the season as a whole, the City boss was quick to pay tribute to the way his players had navigated a campaign blighted by injury and challenges aplenty.

“We never gave up,” Pep declared.

“It’s tough, especially the players even in the incredible difficulties were there, and finishing third is nice.

“It's not perfect but we’ll be in Europe next season in the Champions League.

“Today, people maybe don’t believe me but it’s a happy day for all of us.

“Sometimes the challenges are dependent on the difficulties, this season there have been a lot, we played an incredible FA Cup final, just to see the chances we had, in football you can lose but we were there.

“In the end that would’ve defined the season even better.

“You can’t win all the time but if you don’t, what’s the damage, the damage is finishing 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, take a look at the previous time, the previous winners and we were there.

“We know what happens inside, we learn the lesson for next season that it won’t happen again.

“We pushed each other a lot. In January and February, still it didn't work well but I think except for the first half against Southampton where we didn’t have players for 1v1 [challenges] - the rest of the games we did really good.

“But of course there are some things that hopefully we can solve next season.

“I’m pretty sure next season we’ll be better.”

City now have a brief break before we resume training early next month ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup which kicks off in the United States in mid June.

There is also the opportunity to bring in potential new reinforcements ahead of that tournament with a special Club World Cup transfer window open between June 1 and 10 before the main summer window reopens again on June 16.

However, the boss said his feeling was that City’s summer business would be guided more by a sense of evolution than revolution.

“I don’t have that feeling [of an overhaul].  Pep added.

“I saw my players in training and thought how good they are. Of course, new faces will come but I don’t think a lot because we have a good squad in contract and they want to stay here.

“I remember the first season we qualified and didn't win one title; it was 10 or so players at the end of contract and only Yaya [Toure] extended.

“Then you make the changes, but we have 23 players under contract, that’s why I don’t have the feeling it will come.

“That proves the summer is long, the Club World Cup, maybe [some] players will realise they want to leave but that’s not my business.

“Mine was to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next year.”