Despite claiming their fifth trophy of an already phenomenal year, Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City now face a greater than ever desire from rivals to witness their downfall. The Club World Cup triumph in Saudi Arabia, a 4-0 demolition of Fluminense, further cemented City’s status as English football’s most dominant force in recent times.
With Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, and European Super Cup titles already tucked away in 2023, City stand alone in English football history for such a dominant year. Even Guardiola’s legendary 2009 sextuple with Barcelona pales in comparison, boasting titles in La Liga, Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup, Champions League, and Club World Cup.
“It’s a business,” Guardiola acknowledged ahead of City’s clash at Everton. “You get credit when you win. You don’t win, you’re nothing.” He further emphasized, “As much as you win, they want you to fail. More than ever. I felt that when we won the sextuple in Barcelona.”
Recognizing the natural human tendency to root for the underdog, Guardiola stated, “They don’t want us to win. In these 14-15 years, what we’ve won, the titles, is unbelievable. People say ‘how good they play, how genius it is’. But they only give credit because we win. They don’t have to look further than that.”
Despite the Club World Cup’s significance, it served as a stark contrast to City’s recent Premier League struggles. One win in six games has catapulted them to fifth in the table, six points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
Undeterred by doubters, Guardiola remains optimistic. “In the moment you don’t win, you’re going to get doubts, absolutely everything,” he admitted. “But that is what is nice. That is OK. Doubt again, we’ll see what happens.”
He elaborated, “I said before when we played incredibly well against Crystal Palace, Liverpool, and Tottenham and didn’t win. It’s a real proof they don’t care the way we play. We played the best levels quite similar to these past eight years and we don’t win. It’s a ‘disaster and crisis.’”
City’s recent stumble against Aston Villa serves as a reminder of their vulnerability. “They can play better, so we have to accept it and move forward,” Guardiola concedes. “The reality is we are happy, but they are waiting for us around the corner (to fail).”
Shifting his focus to the immediate challenge, Guardiola stated, “Nothing else exists than Goodison Park. The greatest athletes forget as quick as possible the success. They celebrate it, but around the corner is another competition.”
While Rodri’s ankle injury against Fluminense raises concerns, question marks hang over the fitness of key players like Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and Jeremy Doku. City’s mettle will be tested at Goodison Park as they strive to overcome rival wishes for their downfall and regain their Premier League momentum.