Fernandinho: Pep totally changed my football brain
FERNANDINHO is bidding for a new place in the record books – after revealing how Pep Guardiola is still making him a better player at 35.
Manchester City’s captain has the chance to pick up his SIXTH Carabao Cup winner’s medal today when he leads Guardiola’s side against Tottenham at Wembley.
Sergio Aguero has also featured in all five previous finals for the Blues in the past seven seasons.
But, while the 32-year-old Argentine’s striking powers have declined, the Brazilian appears to be getting better with age.
Fernandinho said: “When Pep arrived here as manager, I was already 30. I’d been a professional footballer for almost 15 years, but when Pep came to Manchester City he completely changed my understanding of football.
“Now I understand the game in a different way, in a better way.
“He has helped me a lot, from the way I play my game to the way I behave on the pitch – and I am really grateful to him and to the club for giving me the opportunity to work so closely with him.
“I hope we can win as much as possible together.
“To win is good – that’s great. But the most important thing for me and the manager is the way that we win.
“This is important because it allows us to show that when we play good football, we win.”
Fernandinho is out of contract in the summer, but his form makes it unthinkable that he won’t stay for a ninth season.
His influence in the dressing room has also made him a candidate to join Guardiola’s backroom staff when he does hang up his boots.
When the European
Super League was mooted last weekend, it was the Brazilian who rallied City’s players and told the Etihad club’s hierarchy that they would not support the proposal.
Fernandinho,
Aguero (right), David
Silva and former Liverpool striker Ian Rush have all lifted the League Cup a record five times.
But Fernandinho added: “I think winning again would be one of the proudest moments since I signed for City.
“The chance to win a sixth title in this competition is something special.
“Personal achievements are always good, of course, but they have never been my main targets. For me, the collective effort is always what’s important.
“Whether or not I play in this final, I will prepare myself to be ready to help the team win in any way that I am needed – because winning is so important. Winning will also give us great confidence going into the remaining few games.”
Fernandinho is also on the brink of winning his fourth Premier League title and, on Wednesday, City face Paris SaintGermain in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals.
He added: “It’s a great position to be in. As a team, we have fought really hard to be here.
“It doesn’t matter what game we go into, our intention is always to win every game in every competition, especially the cups.
“Now we just need to keep doing what we have been doing, we need to work hard, take each game at a time and play the good football we have been playing.
“You only get one chance in games like this, so it’s important we keep the high standard and achieve what we set out to.”