PEP: TIME TO STEP UP
City boss calls on his big players to take him to final
AFa Cup.
s a man in thrall to tradition and history, Pep Guardiola is captivated by the allure of the He made a habit of watching the final, once the biggest day in the calendar, back home in Catalonia and now wants to ‘live it’.
Guardiola reached the semifinals in 2017, losing to arsenal, and is desperate to go one step further by beating Brighton today. Yesterday he spoke enthusiastically about managers striding out at Wembley with their teams, and all the trimmings that go with a final.
That sense of occasion is what Guardiola covets. He does not recall the details of many, but the spice Boys of 1996 — and those eye-catching armani suits — have stuck in his mind.
‘I remember one between Liverpool and Man United,’ he said. ‘Liverpool came on with the white suits. I remember that. and then it was 1-0 United. It’s the oldest trophy and I’ve never been there. I cannot deny how nice it would be personally and for the club. We’ve won it five times and it’s a challenge to get another one.’
Last season’s shock 1-0 loss to League One Wigan is not far from his thoughts and City suffered another scare in the quarter-finals at Championship side swansea last month. That recovery from two goals down suggests there might be greater resolve this year.
‘swansea was incredible,’ said Guardiola. ‘How do you react in that situation? It’s not just about the quality. Forget about the tactics. You have to make a step forward. Will we be able to continue doing that? Really I don’t know. People say the Treble is easy. Definitely not. It’s always tough.
‘Now it is a joy, an incredible moment. We are not relaxed, but if we don’t enjoy these moments... this is a moment for the big players. You cannot achieve important titles without important players saying, “Guys, I’m here”. Fortunately the managers don’t play — it’s a moment for the players.’ One of those, sergio aguero, will be assessed this morning to determine whether he is fit enough. Guardiola does not want to risk his top scorer unless he is 100 per cent. another is Kevin de Bruyne. The Belgian has made only 16 starts after battling knee problems, the product of over-exerting himself last season.
De Bruyne said: ‘I’ve had to come back three or four times now. I feel sometimes my season had double the length of other players because every time you need to be in, you need to make almost double the hours. You never have a day off.’
Meanwhile, City have been watching atletico Madrid midfielder Rodri and see him as a possible successor to Fernandinho, who turns 34 next month.