Manchester City head to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup with eyes on the first domestic trophy of the season
Pep Guardiola speaks to players during a break in play during the Premier League match between Sunderland and Manchester City at Stadium of Light
Manchester City are at Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg this week(Image: )
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Pep Guardiola believes success in the Carabao Cup could provide a crucial stepping stone for his new-look Manchester City team ahead of Tuesday's semi-final first leg at Newcastle United.
City head to the north east on the back of a thumping 10-1 FA Cup third victory over Exeter City which has gone some way to restoring the feel-good factor after three successive Premier League draws saw Arsenal move six points clear at the top of the table.
The Carabao Cup offers City the chance to claim a domestic trophy, having only lifted the Community Shield last term. The Blues have dramatically reshaped their squad over the past 12 months and Guardiola has repeatedly stated how he is seeing positive signs from the new group.
Beating holders Newcastle over two legs and going on to lift the Carabao Cup trophy at Wembley would be tangible evidence of that and potentially provide a springboard for future success with City still in contention in the league, FA Cup and Champions League, even if Guardiola believes there are more ways to measure his side's growth than silverware.
"It's not about winning trophies or not, it's about how the team grows up and gets better," he said. "Last season we didn't deserve to win more than one trophy because we didn't play good. It's not about that. We are here to make the team play better and the satisfaction to make a good performance for ourselves, our fans and for 95 minutes. That is the point. The things we can do better, do better.
"When you are in the process, you can fight for the titles and win it, but after that less compliments the day after and three days after it is forgotten. That is how you live this profession."
Guardiola knows Newcastle will prove stiff opposition and is expecting a tough test from Eddie Howe's side, who have won 11 of their last 13 games on home soil and beat Bournemouth on penalties to progress in the FA Cup last time out.
"They've done really well for many years and now they are in the semi-finals again," he said. "They are champions, it is an opportunity for a lot of us and especially a lot of new players to reach the final.
"Since Eddie Howe took over, look how many games won in the last minutes. The pride is there, the crowd pushes. It has always been like that in this stadium but it is a semi-final and if we have to play against Arsenal or Chelsea it would be as difficult. I would say it should not be different."