Pep effect loses magic

THE Champions League dream was over in mid-March.

Realistic ambitions of capturing the EPL title were extinguished way before then.

Pep Guardiola’s last hope of winning silverware in his first season at Manchester City rests with the FA Cup.

It’s hardly how Manchester City’s hierarchy envisaged it when they hired the most coveted manager in world soccer to much fanfare last year.

“They will not be happy,” Guardiola said of City’s owners from Abu Dhabi.

“The expectation of the club is as high as possible, winning titles. And we are not able. We are not happy, I can completely understand.”

The man himself is fairly phlegmatic about it all heading into an FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium tonight.

Guardiola arrived at City having won at least one trophy each season in four spectacular years at Barcelona and three years at Bayern Munich. Of course, he won much more than that – two Champions Leagues, six domestic leagues, and four domestic cups.