Pep Guardiola has urged his Manchester City players to use the pain from their shock FA Cup final defeat as fuel to salvage their dismal season by qualifying for the Champions League.
Guardiola's side will finish without major silverware for the first time in eight years after crashing to a 1-0 defeat against Crystal Palace at Wembley on Saturday.
Eberechi Eze's 16th-minute strike and Dean Henderson's penalty save from Omar Marmoush late in the first half condemned troubled City to the latest setback in their turbulent season.
Henderson made a series of superb stops to deny City, who claimed the goalkeeper should have been sent off after handling outside his area in the first period.
City's lack of cutting edge was exposed by Palace's tactically astute game-plan, leaving Guardiola to survey the wreckage of a wretched campaign that has included his team surrendering the Premier League title to Liverpool and crashing out of the Champions League.
The Spaniard believes City can still partially save face by securing a top five finish in the Premier League, which guarantees a place in the Champions League next term.
They are currently sixth in the table, one point outside the top five with a home game against Bournemouth on Tuesday followed by a trip to Fulham for their last match on May 25.
“We had fixed in the last month the problems we had all season with scoring and conceding. In the last period we were so stable,” Guardiola said.
“But lately against Palace and Southampton we didn't create much. I'm not saying it is easy. We need good crosses and good people in the box.
“The game-plan didn't work because we didn't win. But I don't have any bad feeling about that. We are sad because we didn't win a beautiful competition.
“Now we must continue and recover quick for the last two finals we have to play to qualify for the Champions League.”
It was City's second successive FA Cup final defeat after losing last year's showpiece against arch rivals Manchester United.
Significantly, City striker Erling Haaland's decision to allow Marmoush to take the penalty was indicative of the Norwegian's lack of confidence at present.
Haaland has failed to score in any of his six Wembley appearances for City, a barren streak including three FA Cup finals and one semi-final.
The former Borussia Dortmund star, who has 30 goals in 42 games in all competitions this term, also failed to score in City's Champions League final win against Inter Milan and their UEFA Super Cup victory over Sevilla.
Facing a Palace team content to sit deep and frustrate City, Haaland had few clear sights of goal.
But Guardiola must find a way to improve the supply lines to his leading scorer if City are to finish in the top five.
At Wembley, City repeatedly turned to Kevin De Bruyne to prise open the well-drilled Palace defence.
But, playing in his last final for City before leaving in the close-season, the Belgian midfielder's inconsistent display showed why Guardiola is willing to let him go as injuries and age take their toll.
“I expect, again, in that way, I want Kevin in that position to deliver some balls. Unfortunately, we could not find him in the position that we wanted,” he said.
Guardiola is clinging to the hope that City can mount one last push, saying: “We played much better, for example, than when we beat Palace 5-2 in April.
“We were much better than last season when we lost against United in the final. Today, we did everything.
“We had the possession to create chances, we could create more, yeah, but it's not easy, I've said that, it's not easy with 11 players there (in defence).”
Champions League qualification remains in City's hands with a home game against Bournemouth on Tuesday and their final match of the season away at Fulham next Sunday.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Rest
(Because Music)
