Pep Guardiola has urged his Manchester City side to cut
out individual errors or risk finishing the season with a whimper.
City lost their Premier League crown to Liverpool last
month but can still add the FA Cup and the Champions League to their League Cup
win in March.
The dethroned champions, who host Newcastle on Wednesday,
have lost nine league matches this season, including a 1-0 defeat to
Southampton at the weekend.
That compares with just six Premier League defeats
combined in the previous two seasons, as City were twice crowned English
champions.
Guardiola’s team face Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final
later this month and are well-placed to qualify for the Champions League
quarter-finals after winning the first leg of their last-16 match against Real
Madrid 2-1.
“We have still incredible targets to fight, to try
and play good and this is the most important thing,” Guardiola said at his
pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
“We are in the point where we sometimes make
mistakes,” he added. “We have to avoid it.
“If it happens like against Southampton, Tottenham
and Norwich away we will be out and Arsenal will be in the (FA Cup) final and
(Real) Madrid will go through.”
Despite defeats at Chelsea and Southampton since football
resumed following the coronavirus shutdown, Guardiola has no doubts about the
attitude of his players.
“I was worried how would be our approach but we have
been incredible,” he said. “The performance was there and this makes
me confident the team will not be relaxed.”
The British government has said selected international
sports stars travelling to Britain will be granted exemption from quarantine
requirements.
This would allow the delayed second leg of City’s
Champions League tie against Real Madrid in August to take place at the Etihad
Stadium but a final decision is still to be made by European football’s
governing body UEFA.
Guardiola said: “We want to play in Manchester, that
is normal, but we will accept playing where UEFA decide to play.”