Champions League qualification would be “huge success” for Man City – Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has revealed that qualifying for the Champions League this season would be a “huge success” for Manchester City.

Whether he’s trying to reassure himself, his players, or the outside world is up for debate.

However, after four consecutive Premier League titles, few would agree that merely securing a top-four finish constitutes success.

Man City currently sit fifth in the table ahead of Saturday’s clash with Brighton, who trail them by just one point.

With several clubs battling for European spots, their place at Europe’s top table next season is far from guaranteed.

“Brighton are one of the best clubs working on and off the pitch. The position where they are right now is because they are doing many good things and they deserve to be there,” Guardiola said.

“It’s a big fight. It’s not a disappointment to be here. It’s a challenge. If we are able to qualify for the Champions League, it would be a huge success from my point of view.

Manchester City missed the opportunity to reclaim third place in the table after suffering a defeat against Nottingham Forest, another European contender, last weekend.

It marked their ninth league loss of the season, prompting Pep Guardiola to describe their remaining fixtures as ’10 finals

He said: “We have to reach the highest possible level to qualify for Europe next season. We have to be consistent as much as possible.

“Most of the games are really tough and we have to do better because there are many teams with this target and we missed an important chance last week.”