Pep Guardiola believes a fifth consecutive domestic trophy for Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday afternoon would be a fair reward for the courage and bravery his team have shown in trying to win every game in all competitions.
The City manager describes the target as six in a row, because he counts the Community Shield at the start of the season, but even if that showcase game is disregarded City have won the past four domestic contests they have entered and are now going for a fifth.
“The Carabao Cup is not the same as the Premier League and I would prefer to be winning the Premier League, but at the same time it is a good competition,” Guardiola said. “I remember the first game when we were at Preston and we used Eric [García] and Taylor [Harwood-Bellis]and they played to win the game.
“That is what I like of my teams, it happens all the time. There is not one opponent that can say they faced one of my teams, Manchester City, Bayern Munich or Barcelona, and we didn’t try to win. It takes courage and bravery to try to win all the time. Sometimes we have to defend more or use more long balls but that is only because we are up against a good opponent, not because we want to.”
For those reasons Guardiola claims he gets more satisfaction from winning trophies now than he did at the start of his managerial career. “The first ones are special because at first you don’t know if you are able to do it. The next day you celebrate, but the day after that, if you are at a big club, you have to start trying to do it again. Every time it looks more difficult, but we have won the last two Carabao Cups and now we are back in the final again. That’s what makes me proud.”
It has been quite a week for City, with Guardiola earning praise for the tactical adjustments that helped secure a notable victory at Real Madrid, though he is modest about his part in the triumph. “The margins between victory and defeat in that game were so tiny,” he said.
“It was the same with Tottenham last season and the season before that with Liverpool. In Madrid, Sergio Ramos had a chance to make it 2-0 and if he scores Zidane is a genius and I am a disaster. Forget about tactics, the manager who wins is a genius and the one who loses is a disaster. I make decisions, that’s my job, but not all of them work and every manager is the same. I prefer to give credit to the players, even the ones who didn’t play in Madrid. Their attitude and professionalism was incredible.”
No one was better in the Bernabéu than the captain for the day, Kevin De Bruyne, who made the first goal, scored the second and struck his manager as near faultless. “I don’t need to say anything about Kevin, anyone who wants to know just needs to watch him play,” Guardiola said. “He doesn’t feel much pressure, he likes to play in the big events and he’s never disconnected. He’s an exceptional player.
“When he put in that cross I don’t think he knew Gabriel Jesus was in the middle, he just knew that someone ought to be in the middle. I don’t have to push that sort of player to perform, with the very best sportsmen the challenge comes from within.”
