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Manchester City: FA Cup will define Pep Guardiola’s first season at the club

By Craig Pearson

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 01: Josep Guardiola manager of Manchester City gives a thumbs up during The Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round Replay match between Manchester City and Huddersfield Town at Etihad Stadium on March 1, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 01: Josep Guardiola manager of Manchester City gives a thumbs up during The Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round Replay match between Manchester City and Huddersfield Town at Etihad Stadium on March 1, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /
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Pep Guardiola’s first season at Manchester City will be defined by the club’s success in the FA Cup.

The hopes were so high for Pep Guardiola’s first season at Manchester City. Maybe too high. The team suffered in the first half of the campaign, but have picked up since the turn of the new year. As things stand, it will have been a disappointing first season for Guardiola at City.

Given the expectations, at least. Luckily, that can still change with the Champions League and the FA Cup still to play for. Guardiola could do with winning at least one of those to make a success out of the season.

However, the Champions League is extremely difficult to win with all the major European clubs involved. The FA Cup, although still challenging, is a little easier to pick up. Also, City already find themselves in the quarterfinal of the competition, with a winnable game away to Middlesbrough up next.

So with the Champions League unlikely, it will likely be the FA Cup that will define Guardiola’s first season at the Etihad Stadium. Win the FA Cup and finish 2nd or 3rd in the Premier League and that will be seen as a positive season.

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Dropping out of the top four will be a catastrophe, no matter what. Only a Champions League win could balance that out. But finishing in the top four, without a trophy, will still be seen as an underperforming first year in England  for Guardiola. Rightly or wrongly.

City still had a slim chance of winning the Premier League up until a 0-0 draw with Stoke City on Wednesday. Guardiola tinkered with his starting XI and paid the price. That draw now leaves City 10 points behind table-toppers Chelsea.

In fairness, Guardiola didn’t change a whole lot in the summer, so is not yet really playing with his team. Next season, more of a final judgement can be passed on Guardiola in the Premier League. After the Spaniard has chopped up his current squad of players.

Next: Predicting Middlesbrough-Man City, all FA Cup quarterfinals

Although, Guardiola still has some excellent players at his disposal this season. There’s no reason why Manchester City can’t go on and pick up the FA Cup. The Spaniard is already fighting against expectations, the last thing he needs is to be inviting pressure after just one year.

That’s the environment he’s in, though. Building is all well and good, but winning is still expected. Hoisting the FA Cup come May will qualify as exactly that.

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