INSIDE PEP GUARDIOLA’S "UNDERDOG" STRATEGY THAT SECURED CITY’S RECORD FIFTH LEAGUE CUP
Nico O’Reilly celebrated his 21st birthday by leading Manchester City to victory over Arsenal in the Wembley final.
Manchester City ended Arsenal’s push for a historic quadruple, with Pep Guardiola hinting there’s still plenty to come from his youthful squad after clinching a record fifth League Cup.
Nico O’Reilly, a homegrown talent, netted both goals at Wembley, earning praise from Guardiola, who called him "extraordinary".
Guardiola admitted his team were clear underdogs but sees this Carabao Cup win as a stepping stone. "Nobody, not even me, would have bet a pound on us today,” he said. Arsenal were on an incredible run. We hadn’t beaten Nottingham Forest at home or West Ham away. We’d lost heavily to Real Madrid. Very few believed we could pull this off, but the players showed otherwise, both the veterans and the newcomers.”
He went on to express his optimism for the squad’s future, saying, “I can sense how this team can develop. I told the players that this is their first final for some of them. Ten years ago, it was the same situation. You never know how they’ll respond. It’s a valuable experience. We need it.”
Guardiola was candid about the team’s progress, adding, “When a group wins repeatedly, it changes your mindset. They start to believe it’s possible. But we still have to prove what kind of team we can be. We’re not there yet. It takes time. Hopefully, by the end of this season or next, we’ll get there.”
He brushed off suggestions that this win shakes up the Premier League title race. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta urged his players to refocus as they approach the season’s conclusion.
“We’re very sad; this is tough, especially for our players and supporters who wanted it so badly,” Arteta said. “Not delivering is disappointing and leaves a bitter taste. But if we look back at what the team has achieved over eight months, it’s been incredible. We’ll channel this disappointment into energy for what’s ahead. That fire will fuel us through the next two months. That’s our responsibility now. We’ll manage this pain; it’s part of the game.”
Arteta stood by his decision to start goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga despite the error that led to City’s opener. He also confirmed Eberechi Eze will miss international duty with a calf injury, while O’Reilly heads to England camp carrying the confidence from a breakthrough season.
Guardiola’s praise for O’Reilly didn’t stop at his goals. “Nico has surprised even me. The season he’s had is extraordinary. He played holding midfield at Newcastle and was outstanding against players like Tonali, Bruno, and Joelinton. Honestly, he might be our signing of the season.”
O’Reilly, who turned 21 that weekend, shared his excitement: “It’s an unbelievable feeling. To win a final and beat a team like Arsenal, who are so good, gives us momentum. Seeing the fans celebrate after my goals was a bit surreal, a great way to spend my birthday weekend.”
He added, “I’ve always played midfield since I was a kid, arriving late in the box and scoring. Bringing that to a senior level, especially at this stage, is really satisfying and adds a new dimension to my game. It feels great.”
MANCHESTER CITY CONDEMN RACIST ABUSE OF STARS SEMENYO AND GUEHI
Following swift stadium action, Manchester City pledge full support to Semenyo and Guéhi amid shocking discriminatory abuse.
Manchester City didn’t hold back after Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi faced racist abuse during and after their wild 3-3 draw with Everton. The game itself was a rollercoaster; City managed to scrape a point thanks to Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku, who nailed a jaw-dropping equaliser in the 96th minute.
Doku actually got City off to a great start, putting them up before halftime. But Everton flipped the script after the break, scoring three and having everyone on edge with ten minutes left. City defender Guehi made a costly error on Everton’s first goal, his misjudged back pass handing the ball to Thierno Barry, who didn’t think twice about putting it away.
Since then, City put out a statement confirming that Guehi was targeted with disgusting racist messages online, while Semenyo, who played most of the match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, endured abuse in the stadium itself. City’s statement was straightforward: they’re outraged by the abuse and thanked Everton and the police for acting fast to identify the person responsible. They made it clear they're sticking by Guehi and Semenyo and won’t tolerate discrimination in football.
Right after the game, Guehi posted on social media, owning up to his mistake but keeping his head up. He thanked City fans and leaned on his faith, writing, “I need to do better, but we keep going & focused on the next. Thank you for your support as always! Thank you, Jesus!”
Racism in football keeps getting worse, on and off the pitch, and there’s a growing call for authorities to actually step up and fight discriminatory abuse wherever it shows up.
Both Guehi and Semenyo have made an immediate impact at City. Guehi came from Crystal Palace in January for £20 million, fitting right into Guardiola’s defence and looking sharp until Monday’s mishap. He’s already played 16 times for City. Semenyo arrived from Bournemouth for £64 million, has 22 appearances, and has made himself a regular threat, scoring eight goals with three assists, moving smoothly between central and wide positions.
They’re both expected to be in the lineup when City faces Brentford at home on Saturday as Guardiola’s team hangs onto their faint hopes of defending the title.
PEP GUARDIOLA REFUSES TO GUARANTEE RODRI’S RETURN FOR MONDAY’S PREMIER LEAGUE CLASH
Pep Guardiola provides the latest injury news on Rodri, Ruben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol ahead of a crucial title race clash at Everton.
Pep Guardiola has shared the latest on Manchester City's injury situation ahead of Monday’s Premier League match against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
City is in good form right now. They came from behind to beat Southampton 2-1 in the FA Cup semi-final last weekend, making it six wins in a row across all competitions.
But they’ve had to do it without Rodri. He's missed their last two matches, including a tight 1-0 win at Burnley, after hurting his groin against Arsenal a couple of weeks back. Guardiola recently told reporters that Rodri is getting better, but the team’s been cautious and isn’t rushing him back.
At his latest press conference on Friday, Guardiola said Rodri still hasn’t returned to training, so they’re just taking it day by day. There's hope, but Guardiola wouldn’t give any guarantees about Rodri’s chances of playing against Everton. "He’s getting better. Still, he didn't train with us, so we’ll see in the next few days,” he said. When pressed about his confidence, Pep just replied, “I am always confident.”
With Rodri still not training, it sounds like a last-minute decision on whether he’ll play. A start against Everton seems unlikely. That probably means Nico González, who scored the winner against Southampton, will keep his spot in midfield next to Bernardo Silva. Maybe Nico O’Reilly slides into central midfield, too, if he isn’t covering at left-back.
It’s not all good news in defence either. Ruben Dias is still out with the ankle injury that’s kept him sidelined for the last six games, and Josko Gvardiol is recovering from the tibial fracture he picked up in January. Both are working their way back, and Guardiola says they’re improving, but there’s no sign of a return just yet.
Turning to the Everton game, City could head into it trailing Arsenal by six points if the Gunners beat Fulham on Saturday. With the title race this tight, City can’t afford to slip up.
Guardiola knows Monday will be tough. “Everton have always been tough,” he said. “Old Everton was so cool and so British, and I loved to go there, but in the new stadium, they are defending really well, and it has always been tough." He’s not taking recent Everton results lightly, adding, 'They're fighting for a place in Europe. We won with two or three actions here, but we were not good at that moment. We can’t have any result but win, win, win.”
Everton won’t be easy, especially away, but City can at least take confidence from their strong record of 17 league games unbeaten against the Toffees. They won the reverse fixture 2-0, with Haaland scoring both goals. Still, Guardiola isn’t expecting it to be straightforward.
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