Gary Neville knows a thing or two about winning trophies having had a very successful career at Manchester United.
The former right-back picked up eight Premier League medals, won two Champions League titles, three FA Cups and three League Cups throughout his playing days, having been a key part of the Sir Alex Ferguson era at Man United.
When it comes to picking up silverware, Pep Guardiola is no stranger to it either, however, this season has been an underwhelming one for Man City as the Manchester club have gone from winning four Premier League titles in a row to now fighting for a place in next season’s Champions League.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 35 | 25 | 7 | 3 | 81 | 35 | 46 | 82 |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 35 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 64 | 31 | 33 | 67 |
| 3 |  Man CityManchester City | 35 | 19 | 7 | 9 | 67 | 43 | 24 | 64 |
| 4 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 35 | 19 | 6 | 10 | 66 | 45 | 21 | 63 |
| 5 |  ChelseaChelsea | 35 | 18 | 9 | 8 | 62 | 41 | 21 | 63 |
Neville has previously been critical of Guardiola’s influence on the Premier League, but the Sky Sports pundit now believes the Man City boss is sharing the same message Sir Alex Ferguson did at Man United when the Red Devils struggled, which could benefit City next season.
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Gary Neville thinks Man City can still have a ‘great season’
In a recent press conference, Guardiola said Champions League qualification would be a big success for Man City. This is not the standard set by the Manchester club, which Bernardo Silva made clear by stating back in March that the season has not been a successful one for City.
However, Neville disagrees with the Portuguese star as the Sky Sports pundit has stated that winning trophies during poor campaigns is very important, which is what Ferguson used to tell his Manchester United teams.
“But City are still on. There’s something about, when I played at United, Sir Alex Ferguson used to say, if you can pick up a trophy or two in the season where you’re not at your best, don’t underestimate how important that is,” Neville said on It’s Called Soccer.
“And some of the most important trophies sometimes at football clubs are the Carabao Cups and FA Cups.
“To keep that momentum going, there’s a new team that he’s building there. I think it would be a great season in what would be really a massive drop off for City in the league, from the standards that they’ve set, to pick up a trophy and get into the Champions League and potentially finish second.”
Man City will compete for the FA Cup against Crystal Palace next weekend, while Guardiola’s men will hope to win the Club World Cup during the summer.
Neville has predicted Man City to beat Southampton at the weekend, although by a shock 2-0 scoreline, and should the Manchester club get the three points, that would all but confirm their place in next season’s Champions League.
All this will be huge for attracting players this summer, as Guardiola is planning to revamp his squad ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
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How Pep Guardiola plans to rebuild Man City next season
Man City are set to lose Kevin De Bruyne to MLS this summer, while the future of Bernardo Silva is also up in the air, with the duo likely followed by Ederson, who is attracting interest from Saudi Arabia.
All these players will need to be replaced and it has previously been reported that Man City are keen to bring in four or five players ahead of next season.
Having brought in two centre-backs, a holding midfielder and a versatile forward in January, City are looking to strengthen in other areas, with a goalkeeper, a full-back and creative midfielders among the targets.
Florian Wirtz is Man City’s top target ahead of the summer and should the Premier League giants land the Bayer Leverkusen star, while addressing other key areas, the 2025/26 campaign could be an exciting one for Guardiola’s side.
