Manchester City’s Premier League title hopes took a heavy blow as they fell to leaders Liverpool, but Pep Guardiola remains optimistic about the club’s long-term prospects.
Despite missing key players like Erling Haaland and Rodri, and fielding one of their youngest starting XIs under Guardiola—averaging just 25 years and 68 days—the City boss saw promise in his evolving squad.
“I saw a bright future,” he told BBC Sport, praising young talents Savinho and Jeremy Doku while hinting at future reinforcements.
City’s defeat leaves them 20 points adrift of Liverpool, making a record fourth consecutive title increasingly unlikely.
However, Guardiola is now focused on securing a Champions League spot, with City currently sitting fourth, three points behind Nottingham Forest and only five ahead of 10th-placed Fulham in a tight top-four race.
“We know what we have done as a team,” Guardiola said. “It’s not enough, but I recognize my team in these last two league games. The pace, the rhythm, the pressing, the solidarity—it was really good.”
As City look ahead to a crucial summer transfer window, links to Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiasso suggest a squad overhaul is in the works.
With 12 games left, Guardiola remains determined: “It will not be easy, but we will try.”
