Pep Guardiola will be a success if he guides Manchester City to the Premier League title, says Trevor Sinclair.
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Following a 2-2 draw at the Etihad vs Arsenal a week ago, Manchester City knew that they would need a point to clinch fourth place in the league standings which would see them back in the UEFA Champions League next season.
“I don’t think he is especially lucky because in the last five seasons this team has always been in the Champions League and it was important this continued”.
“But it was more important to be focused on our game, because we were not depending on other teams”.
He also believes United are likely to play a weakened team in preparation for Saturday’s showpiece, given Champions League qualification is beyond their reach.
In manager Manuel Pellegrini’s last league match in charge, City went ahead when Nigeria striker Kelechi Iheanacho capitalized on Sergio Aguero’s shot that took a favorable rebound.
The game was filled with emotions as Mikel Arteta, who has made 150 appearances since joining from Everton in 2011, and Tomas Rosicky, who has spent the last 10-years with the Gunners played their last games for the North London club.
“A draw is OK because we have only lost three times this season and that is an unbelievable achievement”.
Elsewhere, Newcastle, who were relegated earlier this week ended their Premier League campaign in style with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Tottenham, who finished third. This game is quite straight forward for the Sky Blues since they will know a draw is all they need to be playing Champions League football next season.
“So I think he will receive a club he deserves, and I am sure that this club will continue improving in the future”.
All of this has combined to ensure that Head Coach Francesco Guidolin will remain in charge going into 2016-17, with the Italian having rescued the club from a very hard position to one of the utmost mid-table comfort.
It’s woeful we have missed out on the top four.
“I think all the fans of City will be delighted with him in the next years”. “I felt they have really supported me in three seasons here and support me in every game which is important”, Pellegrini said.
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Swansea manager Francesco Guidolin had done United counterpart Louis van Gaal no favours at all by resting his three best players. “We had to prioritise one competition because we had too many injuries in that moment that we couldn’t recover completely”.
