As the dust settles on what is a disappointing conclusion to both Guardiola and Manuel Pellegrini’s journey in Europe, attention is slowly shifting to how the former can secure success both domestically and in Europe next season with his new club. This is the game that is going to decide whether we have it or not.
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Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany will miss Sunday’s vital Premier League clash with Arsenal after suffering a groin injury at Real Madrid in midweek. Arsenal can not afford any more slip-ups themselves, with Manchester United and West Ham United also hunting down a top four finish.
“It’s a special game because we finish here at home after three intensive years”. Of the last five games we lost just one and won four, so that shows I’m absolutely interested that this team continues in the Champions League next year. It is always hard to fight against a team who fights to maintain their place in the Premier League – that is always very hard. I had to watch the game and remind myself it was a Champions League semi-final. “I think the players respect him highly, I don’t think it impacted the season at Man City”.
“No one wants to be in the Europa League until the semi-final maybe”.
“We have Leicester here and Atletico Madrid who have gone on twice to the (Champions League) final in three years so still it raises questions about football based only on efficiency”.
Some of the Premier League’s most frequent Champions League qualifiers from the past decade could yet fail to make it into the 2016-17 edition.
There is an argument that others could also be included in this list, but whether City’s incoming boss is ready to rip up the entire manual and start all over again is debatable as too much change and losing fundamental players could be a big risk.
“At the moment, we just have one game, and that is Swansea”, Bilic said.
Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report’s lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season.
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City’s win percentage against Arsenal in the Premier League is 16%, their lowest against any opponent in the history of the competition.
