What really happened before Man City FA Cup final vs Man Utd as Pep Guardiola u-turns on ‘hangover’ comment

Pep Guardiola joked that his players are ‘really good’ at partying as he defended their right to celebrate the Premier League title win last season amid suggestions that Manchester City were ‘hungover’ in the FA Cup final last season.

City had won the Premier League a week before the cup final, securing their fourth title in a row ahead of Arsenal on the final day of the season. They spent the following days partying in celebration, before returning to training ahead of the cup final six days later.

The Blues were beaten at Wembley in Erik ten Hag’s biggest achievement as United manager, and were uncharacteristically sloppy on the day. Guardiola and captain Kyle Walker came out after the game to deny that the squad had spent too much time partying in the week before and not enough time training.

The ‘hangover’ accusations resurfaced this week when Guardiola jokingly referred to the theory after defeat at Tottenham – City’s first defeat of the season since the cup final. And asked to clarify those comments, Guardiola hit back and insisted he had simply made a bad joke.

“It was a joke. I’m so bad to make a joke and you get it. Of course we were ready. They beat us fairly,” he said.

“But after winning the Premier League we have to celebrate. My guys are really good on the pitch, but off the pitch are really good too. They have to celebrate it, otherwise what sense? 11 months to win the Premier League, and with one, two, three days [celebrating].

“They trained really well one, two three days before the final. They were better, United deserved to win. We can analyse some episodes. We congratulate them but that’s all. I don’t make excuses that we were not ready. We were ready and they were better. And it’s not a joke now!”

Guardiola also dismissed the idea that incoming United manager Ruben Amorim will give him more motivation than any other opposition manager when he takes the hotseat at Old Trafford later this month.

“It is not a specific for the new manager for United. Unai Emery is here, Iraola is here, many top managers. Every manager has new ideas,” he said.

“Of course improve myself. How many times have we faced Jurgen [Klopp] or now Mikel [Arteta] in the last few years. It’s normal as much you face them and they’re fighting with you to be champions. It’s normal that at the end with other clubs playing twice a season. I’m completely honest, I learn a lot from other managers.

“The problems they create, after the game I say they have created problems here and the next game we have to be careful. It makes you better. Every manager in that case will happen.”