Former Ireland international Keith Treacy joined Joe Molloy on Sunday to discuss Manchester City.
Manchester City and Pep Guardiola have one priority this season.
And it's not the Premier League.
Guardiola needs to win the Champions League if he is to complete his set of trophies at Manchester City. It's the one competition that has continued to elude his grasp. Guardiola himself has won the competition elsewhere but Manchester City have never won it.
So even while they remain in pole position to win the Premier League. And even while the Premier League title is of vital importance too. A trophy such as the FA Cup isn't as much of a loss as it should be. That's partly the devaluing of the competition itself but it's also just the stage of their development curve that Manchester City are at.
Liverpool beat Guardiola's team on Saturday 3-2. A late goal made it a nervous finish but Liverpool comprehensively won the first half so it never really felt like a close game. Liverpool played close to a full-strength team whereas Guardiola made some notable changes.
Fernandino, Zack Steffen and Nathan Ake came into the spine of the team. And Guardiola didn't make substitutions to try and chase the game until very late on.
Keith Treacy understands the approach.
"Man City would be happy enough to let the FA Cup go if it means a Champions League success," Treacy said.
"Obviously nobody in the club is going to say this out loud, but I think he's trying to guarantee the Champions League. They've won the Premier League. The one they want is the Champions League. That's obviously why Steffen started and a couple of the players on the bench didn't come on.
"The two squads they're so well match, they could play seven games in the week and it could end up 4-3 or 3-4.
"Man City had their eye off the ball in that game."
Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp's sides could encounter each other again in the Champions League final. Manchester City face Real Madrid, whereas Liverpool must overcome Villareal in the semi-finals.
"They don't represent who we are" - Pep Guardiola on Manchester City fans.
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