Manchester City could fail in bid for Champions League qualification admits Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has sent a stark wake-up call to his Manchester City squad over their chances to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

City are currently four points adrift of third-placed Nottingham Forest after a late Callum Hudson-Odoi strike sealed a 1-0 win for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men over the Premier League champions on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola and co have 10 games to ensure a top-four league finish and failure to qualify for the Champions League will have serious consequences for the Blues in their attempts to attract the best talent available in the transfer market come the summer.

“We have to win games and if we don’t win enough games in a row to be secure, it will be a battle. We have 10 games left and we have to win a lot of games to qualify. It’s as simple as that,” Guardiola said after the loss to Nottingham Forest.

The Manchester City manager continued, “To find a way, you have to play better. You have to find something. It will not come from the sky. You have to do it. In situations you have to find something.”

City have a favourable run between now and the end of the season but there is very little, if not none, margin for error for the Blues, who will also be keen to finish the season on a high by lifting their eighth FA Cup title.

“The situation is what it is, we have 10 games left starting next Saturday against Brighton, international break after and then we will see what happens,” Guardiola added.

Manchester City next welcome Brighton and Hove Albion to the Etihad Stadium next week and nothing less than three points will do after a drab showing at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon.

Pep Guardiola could look to inject the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Omar Marmoush and Jack Grealish into the line-up against the Seagulls, after the trio were all named on the bench against Nottingham Forest.