Guardiola has highlighted character and mentality as key qualities his players need to bring to the table as the 2025/26 season draws to a close.
match report
Mamouche scores twice to help Manchester City advance to FA Cup quarter-finals
Manchester City advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory over Newcastle United this weekend.
Now coming up is an exciting Champions League last-16 two-leg tie with Real Madrid, the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal at Wembley, and some important games that will decide the fate of the Premier League title as we battle for glory with the Gunners as part of our four-front attack.
Guardiola obviously wants to win these important games as he looks to have a fantastic end to the season, but his determined performance was the perfect performance to set the stage for success.
“Sadly the Premier League contention is now out of our hands. It’s a big drop for Nottingham,” he said.
“But don’t think too much about it, just – well, recover now and go to Madrid, make good choices and hopefully we can perform like we did before.
“That’s always been my focus when we play on the biggest stage against a good team, it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about who we are as individuals, as a team, and you never know after that.
“But as a team we are who we are and that’s the main mentality the players have always known.”
Reflecting on the impressive success at Newcastle that has taken us four games into the season, Guardiola praised the performances of Nico Gonzalez and Nico O’Reilly and expressed his delight at our second-half performance on Tyneside.
“He’s playing really well,” the manager said of midfielder Nico Gonzalez, whose chances have been limited as Rodri recovers and returns to form.
“Nico helped us a lot in Rodri’s absence and he came back today and I thought his partnership with Nico O’Reilly was really good both physically and with the ball. It was really, really cool.
“I’m delighted because the second half of our last three games has been very similar to the first half and throughout the season we’ve dropped a lot in the second half otherwise we would be in an unbelievable position in the Premier League.
“But we didn’t do that because we didn’t have enough tools and we didn’t have enough players to make some changes.”
Learn more about our New Taipei Stand!
We have unveiled plans for the bar and hospitality space in the North Stand of Etihad Stadium.
asCommunicated beforethe new North Stand concourse will feature large television screens, upgraded sound systems and self-service kiosks designed to create a stunning match day experience.
Seasonal memberships to the Cross Bar and City Hall for the 2026/27 season are now on sale.
To find out more or to inquire about purchasing a seasonal membership, please click on the link below or call 0161 385 2012.
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