Pep Guardiola has urged Man City to use their Premier League disappointment as motivation.
The Blues’ title hopes looked to have been shattered with defeat to table-topping Chelsea on Wednesday night but the manager has called for an immediate response from his players.
His side still have the chance to win the FA Cup and currently sit fourth in the Premier League table, looking to cement their place in next year’s Champions League campaign.
Guardiola believes achieving those targets would merit a successful debut year for him in England.
“We have a lot of beautiful things for fight for,” he declared.
“To qualify for the Champions League is so important and would will be a huge success in my first season.
“We also have the semi-finals of the FA Cup so there are a lot of things to do.”
On the subject of Ilkay Gundogan’s return to training, Guardiola admitted the Blues had missed the German and are eagerly-awaiting his comeback.
“Ilkay is a top player, especially in his personality. We cannot forget: he played in the final of the Champions League and took the penalties.
“I don’t like to see special players just in the gym or the massage room. It’s a long injury – like six months – and it’s a pity we couldn’t use him.
“The most important thing for him is to recover well. It is not easy after six months of a knee injury and after muscular problems.
“He is a player who has a sense of the goal. He arrives at the right time in the box. We saw it in the games he played.
“I want to use him a little more in the last pass, arriving into the box. He is a fantastic player.
“We have missed his goals in this part of the season, for sure.”
