Article by Maria Olteanu – Published on Sunday, 22 March 2026, 22:35 / Updated on Sunday, 22 March 2026 22:35
Pep Guardiola (55 years old) won the fifth League Cup of his career on Sunday evening, after Manchester City beat Arsenal 2-0 in the final at Wembley. After the game, the Spanish coach offered a series of statements, praising his team for the way they handled the game with the trophy on the table.
Guardiola really enjoyed this match and was seen offering viral footage on the sidelines, overjoyed.
In the end, he admitted that it was extremely complicated, praising his players, but also his opponents.
“What can I say? Winning a trophy is important. It was special after the last two weeks [cetățenii au fost eliminați din Liga Campionilor și au remizat de două ori în Premier League]. In the first 15 minutes they suffocated us. Then we started winning second balls and playing.
I am very pleased because Mikel has created an almost unbeatable team. Five League Cups in 10 years is not bad. Every time we win, it seems more difficult than it was in the past,” Guardiola began his speech, quoted by abola.pt.
Pep Guardiola, again triumphant in the English League Cup
“When we start winning with a young generation, it is possible to continue. I have to know them, to know how they behave in certain moments. Today, in modern football, everything is so competitive and difficult. We are learning for the future and I hope we can do better next year,” continued Guardiola, who praised Nico O'Reilly, the youngster trained at the club and the author of the two goals in Sunday's victory.
“Maybe he was the best signing of the season. I had a long talk with him at the beginning of the season. He started playing as a full-back and impressed a lot. He can play in several positions. He scored two fantastic goals,” Guardiola added.
Despite the victory, Pep Guardiola confessed that the team “is still not the same as Arteta's team or as in the past” and assured that he is not satisfied with the position that his students occupy in the Premier League: “I would like to be the one with nine points at the top, to be honest. It is in their hands. We need time to rest, I am exhausted. After that, we will go step by step”, concluded Guardiola.
