Manchester City March On but Guardiola Rules Out Four Trophies
20 December 2017 20:04 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been doing his best to keep a lid on the hoopla surrounding his rampant charges but even he could not have expected to hear the first mention of the word "quadruple" before Christmas.
After his second-string side battled into the League Cup semi-finals on Tuesday with a 4-3 shootout win at Leicester City following a 1-1 draw after extra time, the Spaniard was asked if his team could win four trophies this season.
Guardiola's withering look said it all. "Forget about it. That is not going to happen," he told Sky Sports in a manner that brooked no argument.
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That was all very well but the dazzling way his team are playing continues to make the fanciful seem possible.
The Premier League, which they lead by 11 points, already looks wrapped up, while Manchester City are now in the last four of a competition they are looking to win for the third time in five seasons at Wembley in February.
If they keep playing the brand of football that has looked the most scintillating in Europe then triumphs in the Champions League and FA Cup do not seem outlandish possibilities either.
Manchester City's hierarchy certainly believe it is possible with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak having in the close season broached the possibility of winning the quadruple.
He did not employ a manager who once won six trophies in a season at Barcelona without sky-high, sky blue expectations.
REUTERS
