Pep Guardiola is still full of energy
One of the hypotheses surrounding Manchester City's 18-month period of decline is that Pep Guardiola's era is coming to an end. He may even have started thinking about leaving Etihad - which partly affects the team.
However, the victory at the Carabao Cup partly refuted that. Guardiola not only defeated his former student Mikel Arteta, but also recreated his familiar image on the wing. He reacted fiercely to unfavorable decisions, kicking emotionally into the billboard when City was leading, then rushing along the wing, raising fists to celebrate when Nico O'Reilly scored the second goal.
It was a memorable final, especially for O'Reilly - a player who grew up from the club's own academy. If someone thinks Guardiola has lost his enthusiasm, he is convincingly proving the opposite. The passion, desire and fighting spirit of the Spanish strategist are still intact.
And with a world-class coach like Guardiola, anyone who hastily underestimates him - as well as Man City's Premier League championship ambitions - can pay the price.
What can I say? Winning a title is important. That's special because we have gone through two difficult weeks.
The 5th Carabao Cup title in 10 years is not bad. Each time you win a title, everything seems more difficult than before. It's really difficult for many reasons" - Guardiola shared.
Arsenal is declining and needs to quickly regain form
Arsenal finally collapsed and it was a decisive match again. After a sublime but still potentially unstable season, Mikel Arteta repeatedly helped the team recover after stumbles.
Losses of points in the Premier League are often compensated by impressive matches, while the lackluster performance against Leverkusen became a stepping stone for dominance in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16.
But defeat in a final is a completely different story. No chance to correct mistakes, no chance to rebuild.
A victory at Wembley should have been of great significance to Arsenal. It was the first Carabao Cup title since 1993, and at the same time relieved pressure by adding the cup to the missing collection.
It is easy to explain this defeat by a personal mistake - Kepa Arrizabalaga's poor handling leading to Man City's opening goal. And perhaps, David Raya brought more certainty. But that was not enough.
Personal mistakes cannot hide a lackluster performance. Arsenal played lacklusterly, lacked ideas and could not show their bravery in the most important moment.
Arteta now needs to quickly revive the team, while the players need to prove their spirit and personality after the international break. This will be the biggest test ever for Arsenal's recovery ability, and also a measure of their true ambition for the rest of the season.
We have to re-examine everything properly. The whole team will turn this into motivation, use it as an internal flame. We have to overcome disappointment, because it is part of football" - Arteta said.
