'Every game is a final' - Pep Guardiola wants Manchester City ready for a business end of season

Pep Guardiola is looking for his Manchester City players to return revived from the international break for a spell of games he feels are «finals». City beat Southampton 4-1 on Sunday to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup, where Liverpool could lie in wait if they beat Nottingham Forest. Ad/> The win over Saints came on the back of City advancing to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, while they are one point clear of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.

The Emirates FA CupCity and Liverpool potentially paired together in blockbuster FA Cup semi-final2 HOURS AGO Guardiola will now hope his international stars return fit from a spell away with their countries, as he prepares for the business end of the season. «It was not a comfortable victory,” he said of the win over Southampton. “But now we go into the international break.

“There are two months left in the season and we are in three competitions — semi-final of the FA Cup, quarter-final of the Champions League and top of the league. “We know every game is a final and we knew it was important not to lose today.” 'Horrible' if some fans can't travel to Qatar — Southgate Messi not planning Barca return — Paper Round Reflecting on the performance on Sunday, Guardiola said: „We started well, for the first 20-25 minutes but for the last 15 of the first half we forgot to play, knowing that this would be difficult because Southampton is one of the best, most organised teams we face all season. “They push you with incredible intensity but the goal we conceded was a consequence of us forgetting to play.