“Everyone was happy” – Pep Guardiola identifies ‘critical moment’ in Manchester City’s season | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has identified a “critical moment” in his side’s season, despite only being at the halfway stage of the Premier League campaign.

City rounded off their final game of the calendar year by claiming a hard-fought win on the road against Nottingham Forest this weekend – as goals from summer signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki helped the Blues earn an eighth successive win and keep up the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal heading into the New Year.

The Blues are close to adding Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo to their ranks in January as Guardiola looks to shore up his frontline for the second half of a term that could witness a new-look Manchester City side earn silverware and improve upon a sobering 2024-25 season that Guardiola labelled as the most challenging season of his managerial career.

Guardiola’s side are firmly in the race to win a fifth Premier League title in six years, having also registered a place in the Carabao Cup semi-final earlier this month and beating Real Madrid at their own patch in the UEFA Champions League group-stage to take a giant step towards the Round of 16 stage of the competition.

City have their mojo back and have looked the part in recent months, shutting up shop at the back in the last month and alleviating the goalscoring burden on the capable shoulders of Erling Haaland, with the likes of Cherki, Reijnders and a rejuvenated Phil Foden assuming greater responsibility in attack.

The jury remains out on whether this new-look Manchester City side – that witnessed seven new additions in the summer upon the appointment of Hugo Viana as director of football – has the tools to see off the season with major trophies.

Regardless, Manchester City are playing like title contenders and have slowly but surely plugged loopholes in their squad amid reports of a deal to bring Ghana international Antoine Semenyo to the Etihad Stadium from Bournemouth.

Speaking to reporters after Manchester City’s narrow win at Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon, Guardiola was quizzed on whether he may look back on the victory as a ‘critical moment’ in the season come the end of the campaign.

“The critical moment was in the United States of America in the Club World Cup. We looked at ourselves and talked a lot and changed for many things,” Guardiola said.

“Now, it’s a process. I’m complete. When we won a lot of titles in Barcelona, Bayern Munich, here (at Manchester City), you have a lot of games of this type (like City did against Forest). The body language, how we celebrated, the connection with fans is there, they love the keepers, strikers, people because they feel the team want to do it and fight for each other.

“The fans accept if you play bad, but don’t if you don’t put the heart or commitment for the people who adore that club, and that connection is there but I think it’s been there for a long time, for many months.”

Manchester City suffered elimination at the Round of 16 stage at the Club World Cup but despite a premature exit, the Blues received a glimpse of the potential of their new ingredients and a young, hungry dressing room possessed heading into a new season.

On what was discussed at the Club World Cup between the staff and players, Guardiola added: “Energy, energy, energy. Energy, we lost last season – me first, and everyone. Energy. Start to train better, try to compete better. Energy! Without that, that is the first action. After we can talk, with three at the back, four at the back, wingers, full-backs. That is bulls**t.

“We have to have energy. And after we’ll come back with a good environment. When we went out against Al-Hilal in the World Cup, it’s not the fact that we didn’t win the World Cup. It’s the fact that we were SO good there. It was time for holidays, I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to the holidays’.

“I was p*ssed off because I’m good here with the guys training, I’m good in the competition, the place that we were in in Boca Raton, in front of the beach, and everybody was happy, playing golf with people, making a lot of dinners, a lot of talks, a lot of what will happen next season, we have to do. And we wanted to extend just to live there.

“When you are comfortable in one place. And… And that was. But I think there, after that, after a week, we talked with Pep (Lijnders), with James (French), with Manuel (Estiarte), with Hugo (Viana), with Txiki (Begiristain), I said, ‘Something changed.

“It doesn’t mean it’s going to win but being a recognisable team to make now eight victories in a row. It’s not easy competing the way we do it. And we have to improve? Absolutely. But with this mindset, it’s better.”

City remain on Arsenal’s heels in second place in the Premier League and should Viana recruit well in January – as he did in the summer – Guardiola has the ammunition to contest for major trophies and improve upon a disappointing 2024-25 season.