Andoni Iraola says Bournemouth must pick themselves up quickly from the disappointment of a ‘missed opportunity’ to reach their first-ever FA Cup semi-final if they are to fulfil their hopes of delivering European football next season.
Brazilian striker Evanilson gave the Cherries a first-half lead at the Vitality Stadium only for Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush to turn the game around for Manchester City who booked their place in the last four for a seventh year in a row.
‘It was two different halves,’ admitted Iraola. ‘We were very good in the first and played the way we wanted to but we couldn’t keep the intensity levels required in the second. If you give longer possession to a team like City, they will punish you and that’s what happened.
‘We made the game uncomfortable in the first half, didn’t give them space, they didn’t have long possessions but you give a lot of energy in return and we couldn’t keep up the same pressing and gave them too much time on the ball.’
Iraola’s side had not reached Wembley in a cup competition since they got to the final of the Auto Windscreens Shield in 1999 and now must turn their focus quickly back to the Premier League, where they sit just four points behind fifth-placed City – with the top five likely to be enough for Champions League football next term.
‘Right now, it is normal to be thinking about this missed opportunity,’ added Iraola. ‘It was huge for us, winning at half-time. Now everyone is disappointed, but we have little more than two days to recover mentally and physically to win a game against Ipswich that becomes even more important.’
Bournemouth took an early lead against Manchester City in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final
But Man City hit back in the second half and left the Vitality Stadium with a ticket to Wembley
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola pictured (right) applauding his team’s fans after full-time
For Guardiola, it’s a seventh straight visit to Wembley in an FA Cup semi-finals and keeps alive his only remaining hope of silverware this season.
It was defeat at the Vitality Stadium in November that sparked a run of six defeats in eight league matches for Guardiola’s side as their grip on a fifth successive Premier League title went up in smoke.
‘We talk a lot about the game we lost deservedly here,’ said Guardiola. ‘That was when we started to go in our down-road this season. We talked a lot and we saw a lot of images that were not in our standard, nowhere near that we had been to have won six Premier Leagues in seven years and seven FA Cup semi-finals in a row.
‘I told the players today we cannot accept a performance liken the one here in the league when people have travelled down for five hours.
‘It has been a tough season for us, the title has been miles and miles away, and of course we still have this one and we are happy to bring our people to Wembley again.
‘It’s an incredible achievement to do it year after year after year – if you drop, even against a League One or Championship club, you can lose.
‘Now we have broken our own record, last year it was six in a row, and now it’s seven. This is what this club, this team, these legendary players have shown a lot of times.’
Guardiola said his players had struggled this season due to a lack of ‘heart and desire’ but insisted he could not just put his finger on one reason why they have let their high standards slip.
‘It was many things, many things,’ he added. ‘I will write it in my memoirs. A lot. Not just one. And put Pep first on the list. I should have taken decisions I didn’t take in the right moment. If it was just one reason it would be easy. There are many. Hopefully, at the end of the season we can change, learn from that and prepare for the next one.’
