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“Really, really poor all the time” – Pep Guardiola reveals “worst games” as Manchester City manager

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After reaching the final four of the Emirates FA Cup for the sixth time in seven years, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has labelled the semi-finals of the competition as his teams “worst games.”

City emphatically overcome Vincent Kompany’s Burnley at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening, as Erling Haaland scored his sixth hat-trick of the season to help the Blues to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Pep Guardiola’s side remain in the hunt for three trophies this season and face the prospect of potentially facing local rivals Manchester United in the Emirates FA Cup Final in May.

United will face Brighton in the other semi-final at Wembley Stadium while Manchester City will meet promotion hopefuls Sheffield United in North London next month.

Midfield duo James McAtee and Tommy Doyle will both be unavailable for the Blades in the semi-finals, as the pair are on-loan at Bramall Lane from the Premier League champions.

City are also widely tipped as favourites to reach the final, with Pep Guardiola’s side hopeful of winning the FA Cup for the first time since 2019.

However, the 52 year-old has a notably poor record in the FA Cup semi-finals, with losses to Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in recent years.

The Blues collapsed to a 3-2 defeat against Liverpool last season, with Jurgen Klopp’s side racing into a 3-0 first half lead.

City have also suffered two FA Cup semi-final defeats to the Gunners, while Chelsea won 1-0 at Wembley Stadium in 2021.

Upon reaching another FA Cup semi-final on Saturday, Pep Guardiola described the final four of the competition as his “worst games.”

“I love it. You love it. But especially for one thing; the worst games we have played is always the semi-finals at Wembley in the FA Cup. Never we were there,” declared the Catalan.

“Our performance was really, really poor all the time we have been there. Even the year that we won the FA Cup, the semi-finals, I remember it was not really good. I don’t know why, but we struggle.

“Hopefully one day we can play the FA Cup semi-finals in Manchester, and not go to Wembley, and the Wembley people come here to change the dynamic.

“But in the last years, always it has happened before or after the Champions League quarter-finals, after two or three days we travelled, and we were not ready; tired. Hopefully this season we can prepare a little bit better and have the chance to play in the final of the FA Cup – it’s a dream to play there.

“But again, four or five times we have been in the semi-finals, and this season hopefully we are going to try. What is important is to be there, honestly.

“We had difficult draws this season, in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup, with Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, and now of course they’re Championship (Burnley) but they’re already a Premier League team.”

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