Pep Guardiola has admitted Manchester City could be in significant financial trouble next season if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.
City’s miserable run of form has seen them drop down to seventh in the Premier League, with Guardiola no longer focusing on winning the title and instead putting all of his efforts into trying to steady the ship.
With a run of one win from their last eight games seeing City drift further and further away from the Champions League spots, Guardiola confessed his side could be in significant trouble if they fail to qualify for Europe’s premier competition.
“Financial is an issue, of course it is, but it’s not just that,” Guardiola said. “Now we’re at risk. Of course we are.
“When I said before [that this could happen], people laughed. It’s presumptuous: us winning the Premier League.
“They said: ‘Ah, qualifying for the Champions League is not a big success’. I know it [can happen], because it happens with clubs in this country. They were dominant for many years and, after many years, not qualifying for the Champions League.
“The one team that has been in the Champions League for the past 11 or 12 years [sic] has been Man City… if we don’t qualify it is because we don’t deserve it”.
“Because we were not prepared, because we had a lot of problems and didn’t solve those problems and find a way to win games”.
“There are a lot of contenders to be there. For every club it is so important and if we are not winning games, we will be out.”
City will get the chance to close the gap on their competition on Thursday when they host Everton in Boxing Day’s early action.
What we know
- Man City have tumbled down to seventh in the Premier League table
- Cityzens battling to qualify for Europe
- Guardiola admits missing out on Champions League could be catastrophic.