Pep Guardiola acknowledged the situation at the King Power Stadium after Manchester City’s long-awaited win to conclude 2024. “We know we can’t win the Premier League anymore, but we still have other goals to pursue: the FA Cup, a top-four finish… and winning matches is beneficial.” City is in sixth place as the New Year approaches, 14 points behind Liverpool, who have a game in hand and appear formidable. After achieving a historic four consecutive titles this year, a sharp decline in form towards the end of 2024 has dashed any hopes of winning a record fifth title. They also risk being eliminated from the Champions League before reaching the knockout rounds. January will be a critical month, not only for improving their domestic performance but also for securing a spot in the Champions League play-offs to reach the round of 16. They need to focus on securing a top-four finish for the upcoming season, though this has been made more challenging by the strong performances of Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Aston Villa, and Newcastle. However, this season can still be saved. City doesn’t require a title to conclude the campaign in a remarkable way. As Guardiola mentioned, he might be able to concentrate more on the FA Cup this season, particularly if the primary goal is merely to secure a top four finish (and perhaps a top five finish could suffice for the Champions League this year). More urgently, accumulating the necessary points for a Champions League play-off spot in matches against PSG and Brugge is a priority for January. In the past, when Guardiola managed important European matches during a title race, he could rotate players more effectively for those games instead of focusing solely on crucial title deciders. Winning the Champions League now seems like a daunting challenge, but not being in a title race might be the first step toward tackling this difficult European quest. Additionally, there’s the Club World Cup to consider. The city might not succeed in the Premier League and Champions League, but could still finish the season as consecutive World Champions. It is an exclusive tournament with a group that should be simple to navigate.
