Pep Guardiola praises “special” Man City players after semi-final qualification
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has praised his players after their 2 - 0 win in the FA Cup on Saturday.
City and a few other clubs gave up league action for a shot at the FA Cup semi-final ticket over the weekend. The defending Premier League champions would end up defeating Newcastle United by two goals to grab the semi-final ticket and set up a meeting with Chelsea, who defeated Leicester City on Sunday.
A rare Bernardo Silva brace sent the Cityzens into the last four for the umpteenth time since Guardiola became the team’s manager. They are now one step closer to defending their FA Cup title from their treble-winning season, while still being in contention for another treble.
It was a tight game for the defending champions, but they held on despite pressure from the Magpies in the second half. The game ended and everyone in the blue half of Manchester heaved a sigh of relief, and Guardiola echoed the general sentiments of the club in his post-match comments.
He praised the club’s togetherness to defend their treble from last season and also praised the matchwinner, Bernardo Silva, who has been rumoured to want an exit from the club in the last two seasons.
“To expect [to be] coming back from the last international break with two months left and be in contention for all the titles means a lot,” Pep declared in his post-match press conference. “People talk about the Premier League and Champions League but when you win four Carabao Cups in a row and get to six FA Cup semi-finals in a row, this team and this club has something special.
“We want to win all of them but sometimes it is not possible because of the quality of the opponents and the schedule we have. I remember playing away in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and then at Wembley is so difficult.
“To arrive in your best condition in those situations is difficult but we were there.
“Always you can have a bad night but when you have six times in a row [FA Cup semi-finals], you have less bad nights. This is the consistency that proves people who doubt the team wrong.”
Guardiola will now turn his attention back to the Premier League, where he is currently third and only a point behind leaders Arsenal. They face the Gunners for a shot at the top of the table while Liverpool (second) face Brighton and Hove Albion.