Pep Guardiola believes Bournemouth defeat was the start of Man City’s troubles | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola hopes his Manchester City side can erase the memory of one of their season’s lowpoints by making FA Cup history this weekend.

City are bidding to reach the semi-finals of the competition for a record-extending seventh consecutive season as they travel to Bournemouth in the last eight on Sunday.

Their last visit to the Vitality Stadium was one to forget as they slumped to their first Premier League defeat of the campaign in November.

City manager Guardiola feels that was when the rot set in during their disappointing season, with the team going on to lose seven and win just one of their next 11 games.

“That was the first game where we were a little bit away from the standards required to be competitive,” Guardiola said.

“I couldn’t turn around the symptoms that that game started, in terms of pressing and being aggressive and duels and these aspects.

“We have been magnificent in these terms but then it was a minimum we didn’t have. I’ve been trying for many months (since). We have the technology but sometimes it takes time.”

With City’s title defence wrecked during that sequence late in 2024 and their Champions League challenge since coming to an abrupt halt, the FA Cup has taken on extra importance.

Guardiola is proud of his cup record having won the competition twice, been a beaten finalist last year and reached the last four in seven of his previous eight seasons.

He said: “We achieved the record last season – six times in a row in the semi-finals, and most of the time we were playing in bad condition after Champions League (games).

“It was difficult to deal with that, so arriving there shows how important this competition is.

“It’s so nice, the FA Cup, that’s why we take it seriously, like in the past with the Carabao Cup, winning four times in a row.

“With the season we have had, to come back to Wembley to play the semi-final and reach the final would be nice.”

Goalkeeper Ederson is back in contention for City after missing their last game against Brighton with an abdominal problem.