Pep Guardiola focuses on Man City’s improvement, not just winning cups

Speaking ahead of the tie, the City manager played down talk of pressure after a rare season without major silverware.

City ended last season without a major trophy for the first time in eight years, although they did win the Community Shield at the start of the current campaign after beating Manchester United on penalties.

Asked whether that had increased expectations, Guardiola was clear about his priorities.

"It's not about winning or not winning trophies, it's about how the team grows up, how the team is better," he said. "Last season we didn't deserve to win more than one trophy because we didn't play well. You can win trophies sometimes without playing well, especially in knockout competitions, if you are lucky. But it's not about that."

Guardiola stressed that his main satisfaction came from performances rather than medals. "We are here to make the team play better. The satisfaction is to make a good performance for ourselves and our fans," he added.

The City boss has overseen a rebuild over the past year following the departure of several key players, and he said progress had to be judged game by game.

"That is the target and it has always been like that," Guardiola explained. "If you are in that process and fight for titles, you can win them. But the praise disappears quickly. The journey and improvement is what matters in our profession."

City won the League Cup four seasons in a row from 2018, using the competition as a springboard for domestic dominance. Last season they were dethroned as Premier League champions by Liverpool, and they currently trail leaders Arsenal by six points.

READ MORE: Arne Slot unimpressed with 'Dominik Szoboszlai mistake' despite Liverpool's Barnsley win