Pep Guardiola admits Manchester City lost PASSION this season… and saw one telling example amid winter slump

• Manchester City have struggled to string performances together this season 
• Pep Guardiola believes the passion of his players dipped from previous years
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By JACK GAUGHAN

Pep Guardiola revealed that Manchester City’s subdued celebrations to scoring goals proved that his team had lost their passion this season.

City are gunning to reach a third consecutive FA Cup final when facing Nottingham Forest on Sunday but Guardiola is warning that they must ‘learn lessons’ from a disappointing campaign.

The spirit within the squad has been criticised by their manager and he noticed a moment during their 3-0 win over Forest in December that summed the year up.

‘We have to do better to create another environment about the team, the spirit,’ Guardiola said. ‘The celebrations when we score a goal.

‘[Bernardo Silva] scored a goal in the first minutes [against Forest] and the way we celebrated it… we didn’t celebrate this season when we scored the first goal in October, November, December, January [like in past seasons].

‘We didn’t celebrate in that way – the body language we didn’t celebrate in that way. That stupid detail says a lot about the passion that we had all the time and this season we didn’t have it.’

Pep Guardiola admitted that his Manchester City players lost their passion earlier in the season

Guardiola noticed that celebrations of Bernardo Silva’s goal against Aston Villa were majorly different to those when the Portuguese netted early on during a win over Nottingham Forest

Rodri (right, with Erling Haaland) has joined in with some of City’s recent training sessions 

Guardiola has indicated in recent weeks that the mood around the camp has turned and Silva’s celebration during Tuesday’s win over Aston Villa was noticeably more exuberant.

City have also welcomed Rodri back into occasional training with the first team as the Ballon d’Or winner continues his comeback from an ACL injury.

The central midfielder wants a return before the end of the season and Guardiola is buoyed by the impact he has having inside the dressing room. Rodri has been around the team on matchdays.

‘I always say to the guys who don’t play and are injured I allow them to be a manager,’ Guardiola added. ‘Rodri knows perfectly how he can help the guys there.

‘It’s the way we create teams, it’s the bones of something special, where the guys who are injured or not playing can help the guys who are playing.

‘Every training session he’s doing with us he’s doing really well. Rodri wants it but the doctor will tell me if I have a green light to give him some minutes. I will rely on the doctors in that case.’

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Pep Guardiola admits Manchester City lost PASSION this season… and saw one telling example amid winter slump

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