Trophyless to treble? Man City's quest for more history

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FA Cup highlights: Manchester City v Southampton

Manchester City reporter at Wembley StadiumPublished4 hours ago815 CommentsManchester City were in a state of turmoil this time last year, staring at a first trophyless season since 2017.

Just 12 months on, Pep Guardiola has reshaped and galvanised a side that now have a real chance of becoming just the second English team to claim a domestic treble of trophies.

The other side to achieve the feat? Guardiola's City in 2019.

The Spaniard's troops have already lifted the Carabao Cup at Wembley this season, remain in the Premier League title race and are now set to return to the national stadium on Saturday, 16 May after sealing a record fourth consecutive FA Cup final appearance.

They did it the hard way, coming from behind with two late goals to edge past Championship high-flyers Southampton and avoid an embarrassing defeat.

City's recent finals in this competition have brought mixed, results beating Manchester United in 2023 en route to claiming the ultimate Treble, but losing to their rivals the following year then being shocked by Crystal Palace last May.

"Too far away," said Guardiola when asked about the possibility of a treble. "Before the final [league] game against Aston Villa, after we will tell you if there is a chance, but at the moment is it far, far, far away.

"Now it is important that the players have three days off. I told them not to think about football and just rest. The season starts with five games and an FA Cup final. I would say the Premier League is almost gone, we are back to second, we will see..."

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'Unstoppable' Gonzalez strike gives Man City the lead against Southampton

This time last year, Liverpool were thrashing Tottenham to win the Premier League, with City 18 points behind during a season in which they failed to win a major trophy.

Guardiola pointed out his side did win the Community Shield but by his impeccable standards, the campaign had been a major disappointment.

City sealed qualification for the Champions League on the final day, which proved to be high point, as further dismay followed in the Club World Cup in the United States.

Established stars such as Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish and Ederson were allowed to leave in the summer, and there were questions marks over the rebuild with a cohort of younger players brought in.

Doubts only grew with a sticky start featuring two defeats in their opening three games this season, then starting 2026 with three consecutive draws, but the new blood appears to be flowing at the right time.

They got a taste of silverware by lifting the Carabao Cup and will be heavy favourites in the FA Cup final whether they face Chelsea or Leeds United, but regaining the Premier League may prove the toughest challenge.

City went top of the table on goals scored by edging to victory at Burnley on Wednesday but find themselves back in second and chasing Arsenal once more after the Gunners ground out a victory over Newcastle.

Guardiola has won six Premier League titles, five Carabao Cups and the FA Cup twice during his near-decade reign and remains in the hunt to land them all in a single season, as happened seven years ago.

The Spaniard said: "Six games – if we win we will be there, if we lose it is over. People ask to define [City], how many Champions Leagues? How many this and that? To define the club, five Carabao Cup [wins] and playing four FA Cup finals in a row.

"You can always have a bad afternoon, a bad day with injuries and you cannot be there. In the Premier League, always we were there. We are in the final again, we have time to prepare with our fans. Now it is easy because it has been a tough week mentally and physically."

"I still see some frailties in City's game on transitions, but at this moment in the season it is all about big moments, and they are taking the big moments."

City were staring at being on the receiving end of one the of the great FA Cup semi-final upsets against Southampton before late goals from Jeremy Doku and Nico Gonzalez rescued the last-four tie.

The result means Guardiola has now won 45 of his 53 matches with City in the competition - his 85% win rate the highest of any manager to have taken a significant number of games in the competition's history.

Winger Doku - the first Belgian to score in an FA Cup semi-final since Eden Hazard in 2017 - added: "Every time you reach the final you're like, 'wow, what a journey it has been'. Reaching the final again is unbelievable."

Guardiola added: "It's always nice to be here fighting against top teams. No team has made four finals in a row [before].

"It's extraordinary and hopefully we can arrive with a good momentum."

Starting with a trip to Everton on Monday, 4 May, City face a run of six games in the space of 21 days. That period will define whether Guardiola's men end the season in delight or disappointment.

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