'Treble repeat unlikely' — Manchester City's Guardiola

Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola has said that the possibility of repeating last season’s treble heroics would be next to none.

Guardiola led Manchester City to the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and FA Cup titles in the 2022/23 season, marking the first treble of that nature in England since Manchester United achieved the feat in 1999.

Despite the success, Guardiola has been coy about whether his team can push on from last season and replicate the success of the 2022/23 season, instead calling the treble a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Speaking ahead of his side’s opening Premier League game of the 2023/24 season, Guardiola said, "It will not be possible to do what we did last season, it is once in a lifetime.

"We climbed the highest mountain last season, but in the last two days we came down from it and now we start again."

Despite his apparent pessimism, the Spanish gaffer was keen to point out that his side would continue trying to raise their level, and hopefully, achieve another significant season.

"Everyone has the same intention, and there will be a lot of difficulties to climb the mountain as high as possible,” Guardiola said, continuing, “Our football, our level, our mentality will dictate how the season will be."

Manchester City enter the 2023/24 season, hoping to become the first team to claim four consecutive Premier League titles after winning an improbable three in a row.