‘Players don’t need extra protection’
With this season’s first major trophy on offer in Sunday’s League Cup final, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will be keen on winning his first English title whereas for Arsene Wenger, it will be the best opportunity to pick up silverware this term. HT looks at the talking points:
Guardiola has overseen 15 victories in cup finals, but the League Cup final will be the ideal opportunity for him to win his first piece of silverware in England following a barren first season. The manager is also on the verge of extending his contract with the club until 2021 and a Cup triumph could seal the deal.
a shock defeat to Wigan in the FA Cup in their last outing which ended hopes of a quadruple, Man City will be eager to make amends and pick up the first trophy on offer this season. Squad rotation will be key for LONDON: Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said players do not need extra protection from referees after Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola called for renewed vigilance from officials.
Guardiola has been an unhappy figure on more than one occasion after his watching his players hit by a string of what he unassailable lead of 16 points in the Premier League and with a quarterfinal spot in the Champions League almost guaranteed after their thrashing Basel, a League Cup win for Man City could also be Guardiola’s first step in justifying the £448 million splurge on players since his arrival in 2016. It will certainly help ease the pressure on the Spaniard. Guardiola, whose side takes on Arsenal and Chelsea in their next two Premier League games on Friday and Sunday respectively. The probable return of striker Gabriel Jesus will surely be a positive. only six goals in the League Cup this season, the lowest tally of any team to reach the final in the competition's history. If Arsenal are to get the better of high-flying City, key players such as Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and recently recruited Pierre-emerick
Aubameyang will have to step up and deliver. Like Man City, Arsenal lost to Ostersund in their last outing in the Europa League. viewed as dangerous challenges in recent months.
Winger Leroy Sane suffered ankle ligament damage at Cardiff City last month after being fouled by Joe Bennett, while Crystal Palace’s Jason Puncheon was fortunate not to see a red card for a late tackle on Kevin De Bruyne in a league match in December.
But Wenger, whose Arsenal side face City in the League Cup final on Sunday, believes referees
in the beginning, about winning four titles, I said of course we'll try, but the big teams have not been able to do that -- the big Liverpools, the big Uniteds, the big Arsenals, the big Chelseas." must simply stick to the rule book and make the right decisions.
“Extra protection? I don’t know what it means,” he told a news conference on Friday.
“(Pep) is maybe concerned by one or two situations where his players were tackled against Wigan on Monday night, which I can understand. “But you don’t want extra protection, you want protection and that is just by the referee making the right deci- sions in the situations.”
After suffering a shock exit from the FA Cup by Wigan on Monday, runaway Premier League leaders City are hoping to lift their first silverware of the season this weekend.
Meanwhile, Wenger has never won the League Cup but can complete a full set of major domestic honours, adding to his three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup victories.