Guardiola: Manchester City Lacked Heart This Season

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says his team has lacked heart and soul this season, but hopes their FA Cup win over Bournemouth can be a turning point.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is hopeful that his team's 2-1 comeback victory over Bournemouth on Sunday will serve as a catalyst for rediscovering the “soul” that has been missing from their performances in recent months. The win, which propelled City into the FA Cup semi-finals for a record seventh consecutive time, provided a measure of redemption for the team's 2-1 Premier League loss to Bournemouth in November.

That November defeat marked the beginning of a downturn in form for the defending champions, as it ended their 32-game unbeaten run in the competition and sparked a sequence of four consecutive league losses. The team's struggles continued, with only one win in their next eight league games, severely damaging their hopes of securing a fifth consecutive league title. Sunday's victory, however, featuring second-half goals from Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush, offers a glimmer of hope for City's revival.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reflected on his team's disappointing performance this season, citing their loss to Bournemouth as a turning point. “We talked a lot about the game we lost deservedly here against Bournemouth. That was when we started to go in our down-road this season,” Guardiola told reporters on Sunday.

Guardiola emphasized that City's inconsistency has been a major issue, with too many subpar performances like the one against Bournemouth. “This season we have played more games like the one against Bournemouth, which is why we have not deserved more,” he said. However, Guardiola was pleased that his players learned a valuable lesson from their recent 4-1 win over Liverpool. “The most important thing today was that the players have learned the lesson.”

Guardiola expressed his frustration with City's lack of passion and desire, which he believes has been missing for much of the season. “I told them we cannot accept a performance like the one here in the league when people have travelled down for five hours,” he said. “What we missed this season was heart, soul; the desire from how we'd done it for many, many years.” City's recent struggles have seen them make “incredible mistakes” since the loss at Bournemouth, including their elimination from the Champions League in February after back-to-back losses to Real Madrid.

Nico O'Reilly was a game changer for @ManCity 🌟

He was brung on at half-time, inspiring a second-half fightback where he assisted both of City's goals 😤

When asked about his performance, Pep Guardiola said, "He's going to play in the semi-final, for sure." ❤️

Youngest in… pic.twitter.com/tLk2vEhFas

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 30, 2025

The team's poor form has resulted in City sitting fifth in the Premier League, with only one win in their last four league matches. They also suffered a shocking 1-0 away defeat to Nottingham Forest earlier this month, their first loss to Forest since 2009.

Pep Guardiola emphasized the importance of his team recovering their heart and passion, which he believes has been lacking this season. ”As a team we didn’t have heart. That’s the most important thing we have to recover at the end of the season and in the future,” he said, highlighting the need for City to regain their spark.

Marmoush sending us to the semis! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/OTKFcwYyub

— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 31, 2025

Guardiola expressed his admiration for the team's performance against Bournemouth, but noted that it was a rare occurrence this season. “I adore to play like today... A few weeks ago at Nottingham Forest, did the team play like today? No,” he said, referencing City's disappointing 1-0 loss to Forest earlier this month. Guardiola remains hopeful that the team can learn from their mistakes and finish the season on a positive note. “Hopefully at the end (of the season) we can change, learn and prepare for next season.”

Manchester City will face Nottingham Forest again in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley next month, providing an opportunity for the team to redeem themselves and build momentum for the remainder of the season.