Pep Guardiola: Quadruple ‘not going to happen’

Manchester City fans can “forget about” doing a quadruple this season according to boss Pep Guardiola.

City overcame Leicester in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday after a penalty shootout at the King Power Stadium. With Guardiola choosing to field a second-string team in the League Cup, it is the second round running they have required penalties to progress, having also edged out Championship high-flyers Wolves in the last-16. They looked set to make more straightforward progress this time, leading by a Bernardo Silva goal as the game slipped towards the end of eight added minutes.

Demarai Gray was then harshly adjudged to have been brought down by Kyle Walker in the eyes of referee Bobby Madley and Jamie Vardy fired home the spot-kick ensuring extra-time and eventually penalties were needed. Claudio Bravo, in goal for the League Cup again, was City’s hero as he saved two spot-kicks, one from Vardy and another from Riyad Mahrez.

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said in May that the club’s ambition for this season is to win a quadruple of Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and EFL Cup, but Guardiola does not see that happening despite remaining unbeaten domestically and being safely in the Champions League knockouts. Asked about winning all four trophies this season, Guardiola said: “Forget about it. That is not going to happen.”

The City boss was happy with his youthful line-up and felt they were unlucky to be taken to extra-time. “A lot of young players played. I am so happy for all the players,” Guardiola added. “They showed me very good things. How you react is important and there were no complaints from the players in extra time about how it was unfair that they had scored a late goal.”

Man City are 2.38 to win the Carabao Cup this season.