We let down Guardiola says Clichy
summer but says the players must put concerns about their futures to the back of their minds and bounce back to clinch a top-four finish.
They host Liverpool on Sunday and have an FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal next month. In his four years at Barcelona and three at Bayern Munich, Guardiola never had a trophy-less campaign or failed to reach at least the semi-finals of the Champions League. Clichy says the pressure is now on the manager and team, with Chelsea looking as if they have the Premier League title wrapped up and favourites to complete a domestic Double. “What’s going to happen in three months is up to the chairman – the boss and the club will carry on added.
“Of course there are going to be some new faces, but I can’t answer for what’s going to happen. I just want to look forward to Sunday.
“We can win something this season, so we have to keep believing and finish strongly.”
Guardiola refused to join in the criticism of his defenders and pointed out that the players in front of in his way,” he them were not working hard enough when Monaco had the ball in the first half – a demand he has been hammering home all season.
For the first goal, Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling both left John Stones to cope with two Monaco players.
For the second, Sterling let the scorer go free inside the area. Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane were also guilty of failing to track back.
City went into the game on the back of a club-record six away clean sheets but they came against Crystal Palace, West Ham, Bournemouth, Huddersfield, Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
Time and again this season, they have failed to defend properly in big games and they were exposed over the two legs by Monaco, who have become one of Europe’s most dangerous teams.
On seven occasions this season, City have shipped three or more goals – twice against Monaco and once each against Barcelona, Celtic, Leicester, Chelsea and Everton. They have failed to keep a clean sheet against any of the top seven Premier League clubs.
It is something Guardiola has to address this summer if he is to fulfil his remit from City’s Abu Dhabi owners: to take the club to the next level in Europe.