Martin Keown does not believe victory in the FA Cup final means Manchester City have had a good season.
Crystal Palace will look to deny City a second FA Cup trophy in three years when they contest the final on Saturday at Wembley.
City have enjoyed a remarkable dominance in England’s premier domestic cup competition in recent times as this year marks their third-straight appearance in an FA Cup final.
Pep Guardiola’s side have also reached the semi-final in every season since the 2018/19 campaign.
The FA Cup run has provided a welcome distraction from City’s below-par performances in the Premier League and Champions League.
City were eliminated by Real Madrid in the Champions League knockout play-offs and looked on track for a nervy finish to the end of the Premier League campaign, only to embark on an eight-match unbeaten streak to leave them just three points off second-placed Arsenal with two games remaining.
Given City’s propensity for trophies in recent seasons, the thought of a trophy-less campaign seems borderline unfathomable.
Although Keown recognised a trophy is still a trophy, it would not take the spotlight away from what has been an uncharacteristically poor Premier League season.
When asked whether winning the FA Cup would constitute a successful campaign for City, Keown told talkSPORT.com: “Not in what they’re used to achieving because I think you’re judged by your Premier League consistency and there hasn’t been any.
“It’s enough to make second or third, but it’s not really the levels that Pep wants.
“This guy is a serial winner of trophies and he demands excellence. It’s been far from excellent.
“But it will be a trophy. If it isn’t a trophy, it will be only the second season he hasn’t won one.
“This guy is a serial winner. They’re favourites now to win the FA Cup. It’s their third final on the trot which has to be admired – doing that isn’t easy. Let’s see what happens.
“There’s an element of success. But an FA Cup win is a nice thing to have tucked away.”
Guardiola’s only trophy-less season since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium was the 2016/17 campaign, which was also his first at the helm.
Since then, the Spaniard has overseen a period of unprecedented domestic dominance for City.
Under Guardiola, City have won the Premier League a whopping six times out of nine, two FA Cups and four EFL Cups plus the Champions League.
Which is why City’s lack of success this term has been so notable and Guardiola is under no illusions regarding just how off the boil his team has been.
Speaking prior to City’s scoreless draw against Southampton, Guardiola claimed this season has ‘been the most difficult’ of his entire career.
“We had a lot of injuries,” Guardiola said.
“We didn’t have the energy. We tried most of the time, but we were not able to do it.
“I didn’t find a way to let them feel comfortable in winning games that helped us to win more games to be there.
“But at the same time, it’s happened. You cannot win all the time in your career.
“Accept the reality like the normality that is life, and learn, and improve.”
City go into Saturday’s final full of confidence given they have lost to Palace just twice since 2015.
There’s also the chance it could be a goal-fest given a minimum of four goals have been scored in the team’s last four league encounters.
Two of the contests have been 2-2 draws while the others ended in 4-2 and 5-2 victories for City.
However, all but one FA Cup final since the 2014/15 season have been decided by a scoreline involving three goals.
The sole exception was City when they battered Watford 6-0 in 2019.
And Guardiola would love nothing more than an equally-comfortable win on Sunday to ensure this season ends with some form of silverware.
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace is live on talkSPORT at 16:30 on Saturday 17 May
Manchester City seasons under Pep Guardiola
2016/17: 3rd in Premier League, FA Cup semi-final, round four in EFL Cup, round of 16 in Champions League
2017/18: 1st in Premier League, fifth round in FA Cup, EFL Cup winners, quarter-final in Champions League
2018/19: 1st in Premier League, FA Cup winners, EFL Cup winners, quarter-final in Champions League
2019/20: 2nd in Premier League, semi-final in FA Cup, EFL Cup winners, quarter-final in Champions League
2020/21: 1st in Premier League, semi-final in FA Cup, EFL Cup winners, Champions League runners-up
2021/22: 1st in Premier League, semi-final in FA Cup, round four in EFL Cup, semi-final in Champions League
2022/23: 1st in Premier League, FA Cup winners, quarter-final in EFL Cup, Champions League winners
2023/24: 1st in Premier League, FA Cup runners-up, round three in EFL Cup, quarter-final in Champions League
