Manchester City didn’t get carried away with their League Cup celebrations, midfielder Kevin De Bruyne revealed, with bigger targets in their sights for the remainder of the season. City picked up their first silverware of the Pep Guardiola era by sweeping aside Arsenal 3-0 at Wembley on Sunday.
However, a second trophy in the Premier League seems merely a matter of time with City enjoying a 13-point lead over Manchester United with a game in hand. And Guardiola’s men are also well set to make the Champions League quarter-finals after thrashing Basel 4-0 away in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
“It was quite mellow,” said De Bruyne of City’s dressing room celebrations just four days ahead of another meeting with Arsenal in the Premier League. “It is very nice to win but it is just the beginning, we still have a lot to play for and Thursday is another game. It is very nice to already have a title in the bag, we have had a wonderful season until now and I think we fully deserved it. Now we have to go on and try to win the Premier League and do well in the Champions League.”
Guardiola’s revolution at the Etihad Stadium has built a team ready to compete for honours for years to come with a host of expensive young recruits like Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus, Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Aymeric Laporte. However, it was three of City’s old guard who got the goals at Wembley as Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva sealed victory.
And De Bruyne hopes their experience and that of tasting trophy success will spur City’s young guns onto greater heights.
“I think they help the younger lads to focus on what they have to do,” added De Bruyne. “A lot of young players didn’t win a lot in their career. So it will help them to get the experience of playing this game, the way you need to handle it, the way you need to end it, yes it will help them in the end.”
-Inputs from AFP
