Pep: Season a failure if I don't win trophy

City’s Pep Guardiola. Photo: Reuters / Phil Noble

Aidan Fitzmaurice

Pep Guardiola accepts his first season at Manchester City will be considered a failure if he does not win a trophy.

Guardiola had huge expectations placed on him when he arrived at City last summer because of his past successes with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

His hopes of winning the Premier League this year seem remote with City trailing leaders Chelsea by 10 points with 11 games remaining.

But City are still alive in the FA Cup and Champions League and, even though Guardiola is prioritising team improvement, he realises the importance of silverware as a yardstick.

The Spaniard said: "If I have no silverware, I will not be here for a long time. No silverware - it will not be a good season. I knew that in August. Being a manager depends on results.

"I know how my standard is in the past about the titles and I know what is on my shoulders and I have to handle that.

"I know we will be judged on the titles we have won. My period in Munich was judged like a disaster because we were not able to win the Champions League. I won three leagues in a row, we won two cups from three, we arrived every time in the semi-finals and finals, (but) it was (judged) a disaster.

"I have to handle that but what I can say is try to play better, better, better than the previous month.

"That's what I want to see for the next year - be better."

Guardiola realises the coming week is critical. City travel to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup quarter-finals today before heading to Monaco for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday. They then face top four rivals Liverpool the following weekend.

He said: "It is an important week. These three games will decide what's going to happen in the next two months, definitely."

Middlesbrough v Man City, today (ko 12.15), live BT Sport 2