Pep Guardiola says Manchester City are at risk of missing out on a Champions League place next season due to their recent poor form.
City are playing their 14th consecutive season in the top tier of European competition, but currently sit seventh in the Premier League, four points behind fourth-placed Nottingham Forest.
Only Arsenal between 1998 and 2017 and Manchester United between 1996 and 2014 have made more Champions League qualification runs among English clubs.
Guardiola’s side have won just one of their last eight Premier League matches and have taken the fewest points of any team in the top-flight since the start of November (four).
“When I said it before, people laughed,” Guardiola said.
“They said, ‘Qualifying for the Champions League is not a great achievement’. But I know this because it happens with clubs in this country.
“They were dominant for many years, and after many years they didn’t qualify for the Champions League. A team in the Champions League for the last few years is Manchester City. Now we are at risk, of course we are.”
Our last home game of 2024 #ManCity | #MCIEVE pic.twitter.com/NqpXtgq5tq
— Manchester City (@mancity) December 26, 2024
England currently top UEFA’s European Performance Spot table, meaning they are well on course to secure a fifth Champions League spot for next season.
However, with City’s current position, it still won’t be enough to qualify, as they sit a point below fifth-placed Bournemouth.
“There are many competitors,” added Guardiola. “For every club, it’s very important and if we don’t win games, we’ll be out.
“If we don’t deserve it, it’s because we don’t deserve it, because we weren’t ready and because we had a lot of problems and didn’t solve them.”
City face Everton in their next match on Boxing Day before finishing 2024 with a trip to Leicester City on Sunday.
