Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has insisted that next season will be better for the club as he looked back on a tough start to life in the Premier League.
Having seen their title dreams end as well as being eliminated from the Champions League in the round-of-16 stage, City will have to focus their efforts on the FA Cup and a top-four finish between now and the end of the campaign.
Naturally, that is not what many City fans would have hoped for or even expected this season, but it’s the situation they find themselves in after Guardiola and his players have had their struggles at times this year.
However, having now had the benefit of a year’s experience in England, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach sounded more determined than ever to make things right next season which will be a major concern for their rivals at the top of the table.
“I will be better, definitely. This season was a lesson for me,” he told Sky Sports.
“I never could imagine in Barcelona, Bayern or when I arrived here I would know absolutely everything. I tried to adapt as much as possible. I did it and I think we will be better.
“I feel like we’re better now so it is a more interesting year for me as a manager to grow and handle this kind of situation. I didn’t complain, I didn’t give up.”
It’s widely expected that City will spend significantly this summer to further strengthen their squad and ensure that Guardiola has the personnel and group in place to fully implement his ideas and style of play.
With that extra quality will undoubtedly come a stronger bid for trophies, and so it remains to be seen if lessons are learned from this season as Guardiola has sounded the warning alarm for the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham ahead of next year.