Sport

Carabao Cup final performance shows that Manchester City are still on the right path

Many saw Sunday’s Carabao Cup final as Arsenal’s big chance to make a statement. This was the Gunners’ opportunity to prove themselves as the best team in England. Mikel Arteta’s side are already top of the Premier League table and on course for the title, but a Wembley meeting with Manchester City was something different.

 

Far from using the match to highlight their quality, though, Arsenal suffered a comprehensive defeat. While the Gunners were competitive in the first half, creating a good opportunity to take the lead through Kai Havertz, Manchester City took control of the contest after half time. They controlled the rest of the game.

It was a performance that demonstrated that while Manchester City might not win the title this season, with Pep Guardiola’s side also out of the Champions League after a last 16 defeat to Real Madrid, they are heading in the right direction. This Manchester City team could be a force to be reckoned with next season.

 

Guardiola stifled Arsenal’s possession play by setting up with a forward line of four players intent on blocking the passing lanes into midfield. Without Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi to get on the ball, the North London outfit couldn’t progress through the lines. They got bogged down inside their own half.

Having Jeremy Doku on one side and Antoine Semenyo on the other stretched the Arsenal backline. With this width, City then pushed Rayan Cherki into areas where he could affect the game. Rodri and Bernardo Silva were also effective at keeping Manchester City in the opposition half through their recycling of possession.

 

With Arsenal pegged back inside their own half, Nico O’Reilly had the freedom to get forward from his left back position, making untracked runs into the opposition box for both Manchester City goals. The youngster was someone Guardiola could count on to make an impact in the final third.

 

“Not even me gave one pound to the victory today,” said Guardiola afterwards. “We could not win against Nottingham Forest home or West Ham away [in the Premier League], we lost 5-1 aggregate against Madrid [in the Champions League last 16]. But the players prove again – the old ones and especially the new ones – that when required to do something during a season in which we have not been consistent, today we achieved it.”

 

City’s rebuild isn’t complete yet. Silva could leave the club at the end of the season while Rodri will have just one year left on his contract this summer. One way or another, it seems likely the Etihad Stadium outfit will focus their transfer market attention on the midfield unit in the next two or three windows.

 

Nonetheless, there are signs that things are starting to come together for Manchester City. Consistency might have evaded them at certain points of the season, but Sunday’s dominant performance against Arsenal was proof that they can still beat the best when it matters most in a single game.

 

There’s more to come from Erling Haaland who hasn’t been in the most free-scoring form recently, at least going by his usual standards. The same could be said of Cherki, who has shown glimpses of brilliance this season, but hasn’t been fully embraced by Guardiola since making the move from Lyon last summer.

 

Hugo Viana is still getting his feet under the desk as Manchester City’s new sporting director, but the signs are positive that the glory days are coming back to the Etihad Stadium sooner rather than later. Possibly sooner than was previously anticipated. The club might enjoy more days like Sunday with this new-look team in the not-so-distant future.