{"id":550678,"date":"2026-04-25T22:10:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T22:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/550678\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T22:10:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T22:10:08","slug":"manchester-citys-relentless-pursuit-of-silverware-shows-no-sign-of-abating-fa-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/550678\/","title":{"rendered":"Manchester City\u2019s relentless pursuit of silverware shows no sign of abating | FA Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s happening again. Another Manchester City<\/a> treble will be a short price on the prediction markets, even if City were defeated in the last two FA Cup finals. The club\u2019s dominance of English football asks existential questions of those attempting to compete. Yet again written off this season by those foolish enough to underestimate them, City loom menacingly over the rest, threatening a level of success others can only reach for.<\/p>\n

The key question remains without its answer. Is this Pep Guardiola\u2019s last dance? The rumours, unsubstantiated as they are, have bubbled under all season, his weekly responses to enquiries opaque and diversionary. Anyone looking for clues at Wembley in his team selection would deduce the Premier League title, rather than repeating the domestic treble of 2018-19, was the priority for any big send-off. Such speculation is folly when the likelihood is that Guardiola himself may even not know his own mind.<\/p>\n

Another step towards now habitual glory<\/a>. Though when does success become a matter of relief in standards sustained rather than a rush of endorphins? A sparse spread of City fans, Wembley\u2019s middle-tier\u2019s empty, sun-bleached seats tipped up, suggested a national stadium fatigue. Definitely understandable; this was a 33rd visit since the 2011 FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United, victory there the launchpad for a decade and a half of dominance. \u201cThey will be here for the final, don\u2019t worry about that,\u201d said Guardiola of the absentees. Those shielding their eyes from the early evening sun were also keeping abreast of events at the Emirates that went against their hopes.<\/p>\n

For Southampton<\/a>, if 1976 is now long ago, it has been a week of recollections of Bobby Stokes, Jim McCalliog, Mick Channon, Lawrie McMenemy et al, the club\u2019s own historic 1-0 defeat of Manchester United. Southampton had their Stokes moment when Finn Azaz scored his brilliant goal but that moment of ecstatic glory will not last the next 50 years. Three minutes later, Saints sagged when James Bree deflected J\u00e9r\u00e9my Doku\u2019s shot. Fun while it lasted; Nico Gonz\u00e1lez\u2019s winning goal was the equal of Azaz\u2019s strike. To lose via a deflection and a blockbuster is no disgrace, plenty to take heart for a club with other important matters to consider.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday at St Mary\u2019s, beating Ipswich would keep faint automatic Championship promotion hopes alive. Saints must hope that so many minutes of last-man defending has not sapped their legs. A return to Wembley for the playoff final is more likely, if less romantic, with happy memories of beating Leeds in 2024. Six changes from the midweek draw at Bristol City, former City trainee Shea Charles, hero against Arsenal, dropped to the bench among them, made clear the priority list of Tonda Eckert, and Southampton\u2019s executive team, too. A club that has made repeated attempts to relaunch looks in good hands. Eckert almost pulled off what Oliver Glasner managed in last year\u2019s final, going close to seizing on City\u2019s frustrations.<\/p>\n

Phil Foden struggled to impose himself against Southampton. Photograph: James Gill\/Danehouse\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Guardiola\u2019s selection resembled a pre-season scratch team, one from early Cup rounds. Wednesday\u2019s win at Burnley had shown the effort required in overhauling Arsenal, an \u201cincredible loss of energy\u201d as their manager put it. Everton away is nine days off but Erllng Haaland and Nico O\u2019Reilly were held back until the 71st minute. When Azaz\u2019s goal flew in, Haaland was to be found issuing instructions to his teammates, imploring the usual standards were reached for.<\/p>\n

This may be the last dance for others. Gonz\u00e1lez, Omar Marmoush and Tijjani Reijnders have all been linked with departures. James Trafford may wish to become a first-choice goalkeeper elsewhere. John Stones\u2019 and Bernardo Silva\u2019s exits are already confirmed. If the latter two\u2019s send-offs will be as club legends that first trio\u2019s uncertain futures show the churn, the human wastage of the Guardiola machine, at a combined cost of \u00a3155m only the wealthiest clubs could soak up.<\/p>\n

Reiijnders\u2019 first-half attempt at a flying volley before also scuffing wide in the second half will have done little for his resale value; he also received a flea in his ear and manhandling from his manager as his teammates celebrated Doku\u2019s goal.<\/p>\n

If yet more success is this City squad\u2019s destiny there is room for significant modifications. Will Phil Foden<\/a>, another avatar of a golden era, be part of the next building project, its foreman as yet unconfirmed? Glimpses of the star player who has exemplified the City conveyor belt of youthful talent, Saints captain Taylor Harwood-Bellis among them, have become too fleeting. At Wembley, Foden again struggled to impose himself. These days, Rayan Cherki makes the snaking, skating runs for City, eating Foden\u2019s lunch by being the one player Guardiola allows free rein. Foden\u2019s removal early in the second half, for Savinho, another on standby for departure, was the latest stall by a player who, at 26 next month, should be at his peak.<\/p>\n

Foden\u2019s fall from prominence, struggling to maintain the highest of standards, may be just another indicator of the severity of the Guardiola supremacy that leaves others trailing in City\u2019s wake.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s happening again. Another Manchester City treble will be a short price on the prediction markets, even if…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":550679,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,50,51,47,52,48],"class_list":{"0":"post-550678","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=550678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550678\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/550679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=550678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=550678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=550678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}