Pep Guardiola is placing more weight on Manchester City’s performances than on adding another trophy, as City prepare to face Newcastle United in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final at St James’ Park on Tuesday, with a place in the final against Arsenal or Chelsea at stake.
City dominated this competition early in Guardiola’s tenure, lifting the EFL Cup four times in five seasons, matching Brian Clough, Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho, yet since beating Tottenham in the 2020-21 final, City’s domestic cup returns have dipped, even as three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Champions League have followed.
Guardiola stresses that style and improvement guide his thinking before the Newcastle meeting, rather than chasing silverware at any
cost, and views this semi-final as one of the toughest possible assignments, given Newcastle’s record in the competition and the intense atmosphere expected at St James’ Park under Eddie Howe.
Reflecting on the club’s standards, Guardiola told reporters that trophies alone cannot define the season or the project, saying: "It's not about winning or not winning trophies, it's about how the team grows up, how the team gets better," and adding that City’s displays last campaign did not merit a big haul of honours.
Guardiola expanded on that point by criticising City’s overall level during the previous season, stating: "Last season we didn't deserve to win more than just one trophy [the Community Shield], because we didn't play well. " City’s manager believes that a clear identity and strong performances must come before any talk of collecting more titles.
City’s head coach accepts that luck can still deliver trophies in knockout football, yet is adamant that this is not the objective, explaining: "The satisfaction of winning a trophy when we are not playing well can happen, if the knockout stages are lucky. But it's not about that, believe me. We are here to make the team play better, for the satisfaction of making a good performance for ourselves and our fans to say, 'We had fun for 95 minutes!' That is the point. And the next game, things that we can do better, we will do it better. That is the target, and all the time it has been like that. When you are in that process, at the end you fight for the titles and can win them. "
Manchester City and Newcastle United EFL Cup records
City approach this tie with a strong semi-final history in the EFL Cup, progressing from the last six semi-finals, four of those under Guardiola, and on each of those six occasions they went on to win the trophy, while their most recent exit at this stage came in 2011-12, when eventual winners Liverpool knocked them out.
| Team | EFL Cup semi-finals won | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | Last 6 semi-finals | Won trophy each time |
| Newcastle United | 3 from 3 | Best 100% semi-final record |
Newcastle bring an impressive EFL Cup pedigree of their own, having won all three of their semi-final ties in the competition’s history, the best perfect record of any club, and ended a 70-year wait for a major trophy by beating Liverpool in last season’s final, a year after losing the 2023 showpiece to Manchester United.
Pep Guardiola assesses Newcastle United test in EFL Cup
Guardiola joked about the scale of the tactical challenge, saying: "I didn't sleep last night thinking about how my genius can come up with a plan for Eddie Howe," and highlighted the influence of the Newcastle support and Howe’s impact on tight matches at their home ground over several campaigns.
Praising the intensity at St James’ Park and the competitive level of all three potential opponents, Guardiola said: "In the many years since Eddie Howe took over, look how many games they have won in the last minutewith the push from the crowd. It's always been like that for a long time. In that stadium, it is special. In the semi-finals, playing Arsenal and Chelsea, it would be as difficult as Newcastle. I don't think it should be any different. " City now travel to Newcastle aiming to maintain their semi-final record while still prioritising performance levels over simply reaching another EFL Cup final.
