Realistic Targets for Manchester City Hunters

Manchester City, which is reluctant to insist on taking part in the English League Cup, has provided a blessing for its competitors. At least the other English teams don't need to worry about being hampered by "The Citizens" who are very dominant if they appear seriously.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Target Realistis Para Pemburu Manchester City

AFP/OLI SCARFF

Newcastle United player Alexander Isak (left) battles for the ball with Manchester City player Nathan Ake in the English League Cup match at St James' Park Stadium, Newcastle, early Thursday morning (28/9/2023). Newcastle won 1-0 and Isak scored the winning goal for his team.

LONDON, THURSDAY – The English League Cup is the only competition being released by Manchester City in the 2023-2024 season. Without The Citizens, a number of teams that have failed to keep up with Pep Guardiola's children in the Premier League will have the opportunity to win trophies in domestic competitions.

Similar to the 2022-2023 season, City is not too keen on chasing the championship title in the third-tier tournament in England which they dominated for four consecutive editions from 2018 to 2021. As a result, City can win the championship in the remaining three competitions, namely the English Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.

City fell in the third round to Newcastle United, 0-1, at St James Park Stadium, early morning on Thursday (28/9/2023), marking their worst performance under Guardiola in the English League Cup. Last season, they were eliminated in the quarterfinal phase by Southampton. Nevertheless, the defeat to Newcastle did not bother Guardiola.

According to Guardiola, his team played extraordinary during the two halves at St James Park. Unlike the defeat against Southampton which was caused by his team performing poorly, he said, The Citizens showed a good performance, but only failed to score a goal.

AP/PA/OWEN HUMPHREYS

Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola's reaction during the English League Cup game against Newcastle United, but failed to score a goal at St. James' Park Stadium, Newcastle, in the early hours of Thursday (28/9/2023) WIB. Newcastle won 1-0 in the match.

"They (Newcastle) played more aggressively to win the match. This is football. I am comfortable with the way we played, with no injuries and the chance to play for Mateo (Kovacic) and Jack (Grealish)," said Guardiola as quoted on the club's website. He mentioned Kovacic and Grealish who have recently recovered from injuries during the month of September."

Even though two main players have returned to play, Guardiola is still missing some midfield key players, such as Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones, and Bernardo Silva. Rodri is also absent due to a red card suspension from the match against Nottingham Forest last Saturday (23/9/2023).

The lack of preparation by City in the League Cup was also evident from Guardiola's decision to keep Erling Haaland on the bench. Julian Alvarez was also only given 73 minutes of playtime. This condition forced City to play more than 15 minutes at the end of the game without a pure striker, as they were trailing by one goal.

In the remaining season, City continues their ambition to retain the three major trophies they won last summer. Moreover, The Citizens have the opportunity to claim their fifth title in the 2023 Club World Cup, which will be held in December.

AFP/OLI SCARFF

Manchester City player Julian Alvarez (left) took a shot at Newcastle United's goal but failed to score in the English League Cup match at St James' Park Stadium, Newcastle, early Thursday morning (28/9/2023). Newcastle won the match 1-0.

As for Newcastle Manager Eddie Howe, the English League Cup is their biggest ambition to end their thirst for trophies for 68 years since the 1954-1955 FA Cup. Last season, The Magpies lost in the final to Manchester United, 0-2.

“Reaching the final last season brought us pride. "This result makes us want to try again to achieve better results, but we have to keep fighting because there is still a long way to go," Howe told Sky Sports.

The sole goal that gave Newcastle victory over City was secured by a left-footed kick from Alexander Isak in the 53rd minute. In the fourth round, Newcastle will face a rematch of last season's final. They will visit MU's home ground, the Old Trafford Stadium, on October 30.

The strongest candidate

The strongest candidates for the champions of the English League Cup this season are two teams that have been City's top competitors in the English Premier League over the last three seasons. Those two teams are Arsenal and Liverpool.

AFP/JUSTIN TALLIS

Brentford's player, Frank Onyeka (left), contests for the ball with Arsenal's player, Reiss Nelson, during a Premier League match at the Brentford Community Stadium in London on Thursday (28/9/2023) early morning WIB. Arsenal won 1-0 and Nelson scored the winning goal for Arsenal.

Arsenal won the London derby against Brentford, 1-0, at the Gtech Community Stadium, thanks to a contribution from Reiss Nelson's goal in the eighth minute. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is pleased that his team can advance to the fourth round. Next, Arsenal will fight West Ham in pursuit of their mission to win their first League Cup title since 1993.

"I am very happy because in this competition there are only two options, to advance or to be eliminated. We played two different halves, but we will continue to develop ourselves to improve," said Arteta as quoted on the club's website.

Liverpool, who are currently sitting in second place in the English Premier League, also secured a convincing 3-1 victory over Championship Division leaders, Leicester City, at Anfield Stadium. Liverpool manager, Juergen Klopp, welcomed his team's positive performance, especially in the second half.

"Si Merah" initially fell behind through a goal from Kasey McAteer. The game's trajectory changed after Klopp introduced two key players, Dominik Szoboszlai and Darwin Nunez, in the final 25 minutes of the match. The presence of the two players helped create two winning goals for Liverpool.

AP PHOTO/JON SUPER

Liverpool player Cody Gakpo took a shot on target against Leicester City, despite being shadowed by Leicester player Cesare Casadei, during the English League Cup match at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, on Thursday (28/9/2023) early morning WIB. Liverpool won the match 3-1, with Gakpo scoring one goal.

"The players showed their positivity and carried out our game plan, even though they failed to score in the first half. From minute to minute, we continue to improve and I am confident that as we play more games, we will also display an improved performance," said Klopp as quoted by the BBC."

The positive results against Leicester further emphasize that Liverpool's mentality of refusing to lose at the start of this season has returned. They have won five times in three different competitions after falling behind first.

Liverpool will face Bournemouth in the fourth round. In terms of quality and position in the English League standings, the Red team will not have difficulty continuing to the quarterfinals to win their 10th League Cup title in the club's history.

Aside from Arsenal and Liverpool, Chelsea is using the League Cup to fulfill their ambitions for a turning point after a string of poor results at the beginning of this season. They overturned one of the best teams in the English League at the moment, Brighton & Hove Albion, 1-0. The goal contribution from Nicolas Jackson secured "The Blues" lead to advance to the next round.

“The win over Brighton deservedly and should have been a turning point in our season. I see a lot of positive things. Players are fighting to give their best performance," Chelsea Manager Mauricio Pochettino told Sky Sports.