Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has warned that the club risks missing out on a spot in next season’s Champions League.
City are currently in their 14th consecutive season in Europe’s premier club competition.
Only Arsenal, who had a streak from 1998 to 2017, and Manchester United, who qualified between 1996 and 2014, have longer records of qualification among English clubs.
At present, City are in seventh place in the Premier League after 17 matches, four points behind Nottingham Forest in fourth and one point behind fifth-placed Bournemouth.
While England currently lead UEFA’s European Performance Spot table and are well-positioned to secure a fifth place in next season’s Champions League, City would not qualify based on their current standing.
“When I said before, people laughed,” said Guardiola. “They said, ‘qualifying for the Champions League is not a big success’.
“But I know it because it happens with clubs in this country. They were dominant for many years and after they were many years not qualifying for the Champions League.”
Guardiola’s side host Everton on Boxing Day, before a trip to Leicester on 29 December and a home match against West Ham on 4 January.
Given all three opponents are in the bottom seven, it offers City a chance to improve on an appalling recent record of four points from eight games, which Guardiola acknowledges has left their lofty European ambitions in doubt.
“The one team that has been in the Champions League for the past years has been Manchester City,” he added.
“Now we are at risk, of course we are. Definitely.”
From the 2005-06 to 2008-09 seasons, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United consistently finished in the Premier League’s top four. For 15 consecutive campaigns until 2012, at least three of them remained in the top four.
However, United have spent five of the past 11 seasons outside the Champions League, while Arsenal spent six seasons away before returning last year. Liverpool missed out on all but one season from 2010, and Chelsea are in their second consecutive campaign outside Europe’s top competition.
This season, Manchester City’s challenge comes from unexpected rivals. In addition to Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth, Aston Villa are ahead of City, with Newcastle, Fulham, and Brighton also just a few points behind.
“There are a lot of contenders,” said Guardiola, whose side have lost nine of their last 12 games in all competitions. “For every club it is so important and if we are not winning games, we will be out.
“If we don’t qualify it is because we don’t deserve it, because we were not prepared and because we had a lot of problems and didn’t solve them.”