Guardiola urges players to seize treble chance

LONDON— Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola urged his players to seize the opportunity of a lifetime after they beat arch-rivals Manchester United 2-1 in the FA Cup final. Victory in the first-ever all-Manchester FA Cup final, secured by Ilkay Gundogan’s brace of goals, came hot on the heels of a fifth English Premier League title in six seasons under the Spaniard. Guardiola joined Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson as the only managers to win the English double more than once, having also achieved it in the 2018-19 season. He and his relentless players can now achieve sporting immortality next Saturday in Istanbul against Inter Milan when City can be crowned European champions for the first time and match United’s 1998-99 still unique treble under Ferguson. “We are in a position we will probably never be in again,” Guardiola, who has turned City into an unstoppable force since arriving in 2016, winning 11 trophies, said according to Reuters. “Everything will not be complete if we don’t win the Champions League now. We have to win the Champions League to be recognised how the team deserves to be recognised.” City were not even at their best against United in Saturday’s Wembley showpiece in which Gundogan scored after 12 seconds — the fastest ever FA Cup final goal. But they still had too much for a United side who levelled via a Bruno Fernandes penalty and pressed late on but could have few complaints about the final result. Guardiola was tearful at the final whistle as he embraced his celebrating players. But he quickly re-focused on the bigger picture that is now looming large. “To win the FA Cup the emotions are really special. Now is the first time I can talk about the treble… It is one game away,” said Guardiola, who led Barcelona to a treble of La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey in 2008-09. “I’m thinking about what we have to do to beat Inter. I spoke with the players many times. Forget about it. Focus on what you need to do to beat Inter.” The one cloud on the horizon for City is Gundogan’s potential move away from the Etihad Stadium this summer, possibly to Guardiola’s old club Barcelona. German midfielder Gundogan, 32, remains an irreplaceable component in Guardiola’s squad and once again showed his knack of scoring crucial goals. He also scored braces in vital Premier League wins over Everton and Leeds United as City relentlessly reeled in Arsenal over the final weeks of the season. “What a season,” Guardiola said. “When he first arrived in Manchester the skills were there. But he has a special mentality.” Asked about Gundogan’s future, Guardiola said: “(Football director) Txiki (Begiristain) is doing it. Hopefully he will be successful. I hope so.” City´s class of 2023 became the 13th team in English soccer history to clinch a league-and-FA Cup double. It has happened twice under Guardiola, who has won 13 trophies in his seven years at the club and 34 in his managerial career. The latest haul of titles has come in the same season the club was charged by the Premier League with more than 100 breaches of financial rules. City denies the charges and the players certainly weren’t thinking of them after the final whistle blew as they ran from the halfway line and jumped for joy in front of their fans waving blue and white flags. Right at the heart of the celebrations was Gundogan, who – as it stands – will be leaving City after the Champions League final because he is out of contract. He would depart as a club great and a FA Cup record-breaker.