Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has called on his players to bounce back from Saturday’s disappointing 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final at Wembley, Afrosport reports.
The Spaniard was denied winning his third FA Cup title, having reached the final for the third year in a row.
The defeat means Guardiola will end the season with the Community Shield as the only piece of silverware, and will now turn his attention to securing Champions League football next season.
The Citizens are currently sixth, one point behind Aston Villa in fifth. They could, however, move up to third if they defeat Bournemouth in their rescheduled game at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.
“We have to come back,” he said ahead of the game.
“We have to live it. It’s better to play against Bournemouth, having won the FA Cup, because winning helps winning, but now we have to prove how strong we are with our people.
“When we play bad, I am incredibly honest and I say we don’t deserve it. It happened last season against United, we didn’t play good, but this year I don’t have that feeling.
“I had the feeling that we made a really good game.
“For Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, it’s important for all of us to be there [in the Champions League]. It’s massive.
“But now it’s not the time to talk to the players much. We will recover and then prepare for the game.
“We will prepare, and I want to see how the players recover and then go there. We have to recover quick.”
One final home game
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Man City lost 2-1 to Bournemouth in the reverse league fixture at the Vitality Stadium last November, but defeated them by the same scoreline in the FA Cup quarter-finals at the same venue.
