Man City avoid fixture schedule nightmare and get Club World Cup boost after Carabao Cup exit
manchestereveningnews.co.uk"I don't want to waste energy in this competition at that stage," said Pep Guardiola at full-time at St James' Park. Manchester City had made a number of changes, resting key players, and their second string were defeated 1-0 in a tight tie against Newcastle.
They fell at the first hurdle in the Carabao Cup for the first time in 11 years, and their grip on the competition they dominated between 2017 and 2021 is firmly over.
But while City used those four League Cups to foster a culture of winning and navigating knockout competitions, they have moved on to bigger and better things these days.
Guardiola insisted he always uses the early rounds to make wholesale changes, only focussing on winning the cup when the semi-finals emerge into view. ALSO READ: Guardiola explains why Haaland didn't come on vs Newcastle ALSO READ: Guardiola names four City fringe players who impressed him vs Newcastle This season, the quadruple cannot be won - and Guardiola looked thoroughly unimpressed when it was put to him on Wednesday that it was a negative for that 'dream' to be over.
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