Pep Guardiola shared his reaction after Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 in the FA Cup semifinal to reach the final at Wembley on May 17.
City will face Crystal Palace for a chance to win silverware, as the 2024-25 season has been a tough one but they could still qualify for the Champions League and win the FA Cup.
Here’s what Pep Guardiola had to say.
Pep Guardiola reaction
Speaking to ITV Sport, Guardiola praised his players for getting the job done: “A good start, the way we played, we didn’t allow them too much to make transitions that they are so so dangerous and arrive in the final third with crosses. Seven semifinals in a row, seven finals in a row. Not bad.”
What worked well on the system in the first half: “In the game they had chances. This is a team with a game in-hand that is better than us in the Premier League. It is extraordinary team. We could not expect them to not create chances. They created a little bit more than in the game we played there. The pace they have is really, really good.”
Was this a game a few months ago City did not win?: “A few months ago for sure. The [shots] on the post go inside, for sure... Everything is in the head, in the minds of the players. On one side and the other side.”
The psychological element was a positive today?: “We are in the final. If you said three years ago you would be in three FA Cup finals, come on, it is so difficult. Respect will be big in many, many years to come. Not now because the Premier League season has not been good. Now we have four finals in the Premier League. We cannot be distracted. We have recovery for five days and recover for the game against Wolves.”
On Mateo Kovacic being in best form since he joined City: “Yep. The last three or four games has been extraordinary. We are lucky to have time to recover. In the way he plays he cannot play every three days but of course the quality he has and the composure, it’s extraordinary.”
