“I still enjoy it” – Pep Guardiola offers Manchester City future hint with trophy admission | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has insisted he still derives immense satisfaction from winning trophies after Manchester City’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final victory over Arsenal on Sunday.

A Nico O’Reilly brace sealed City’s first piece of silverware in two seasons, with Guardiola visibly emotional on the touchline – picking up a yellow card for his celebrations – as his side produced a composed and increasingly dominant display against a side the Catalan went on to hail as the best in Europe.

However, the Wembley cup joy arrives against a backdrop of growing uncertainty over whether Guardiola will be at the helm to see Manchester City’s ongoing rebuild under director of football Hugo Viana through to the end.

With Guardiola under contract until the summer of 2027 but heavily linked with an earlier-than-expected departure at the end of this season, the coming days during the international break are set to prove decisive in determining how City’s revamp will take shape in the seasons to follow.

Guardiola: Nobody gave us anything

In a passionate post-match press conference, the 55-year-old reflected on what Sunday’s victory meant to him personally and to a dressing room full of players navigating their own milestone moments on football’s biggest stages.

“I still enjoy it! Today was a real challenge and nobody gave us anything,” he said on whether he continues to enjoy winning silverware as a manager. “Today, we saw ourselves and our level against the best team (Arsenal). We were what we are.

“That is the proof and challenge. That’s what we’re about. We don’t regret the challenge, sport is that. They are the best so far.”

It was a defiant and emotionally-charged response from a manager who, just five days earlier, had quipped “Everybody wants to fire me, right?” following a third consecutive Champions League elimination at the hands of Real Madrid – evidence that even in the depths of a turbulent season, Guardiola retains his competitive fire.

Guardiola points to next generation as proof of rebuild

Perhaps most strikingly, Guardiola used his post-match platform to shine a light on the crop of new faces who delivered on the grandest of occasions on Sunday – framing their individual contributions as proof that City’s transition is beginning to bear fruit.

“For James (Trafford), it was the first final he played, (Abdukodir) Khusanov just a year here, Nico O’Reilly has impressed me in his first full season and Antoine (Semenyo) played his first final,” he said.

“There are many players who have had a first experience but that is good, that’s what we need. That tells us, okay – we can do it.”

Trafford, playing only his first cup final, was outstanding in the opening exchanges. Khusanov, just over 12 months into life at the Etihad Stadium, was composed and commanding at the back.

O’Reilly, in his first full senior season, ended the afternoon as the match-winner with a brace that left even his own manager stunned. Semenyo, who joined City from Bournemouth in January, was a constant menace out wide.

The question that won’t go away

Yet even as Guardiola celebrated with his players and staff on the Wembley turf, the shadow of his uncertain future remained ever-present.

It was reported in the days before the final that the City manager would use the upcoming international break to take stock and make his mind up – with a decision on whether he departs this summer, a year before his contract expires, now imminent.

Executives at the Etihad Stadium are understood to have already drawn up an early shortlist of potential successors, accepting that a renewal beyond 2027 is unlikely – though the club’s preference would naturally be to retain the most decorated manager in their history for the duration of his existing deal.

Guardiola, for his part, has given little away publicly. He has consistently deflected questions on his future with a mixture of humour and defiance, while simultaneously insisting that his attachment to Manchester City runs far deeper than any contract.

Whether Sunday’s triumph emboldens him to see the rebuild through – or whether the euphoria of a Wembley victory serves as the perfect full stop to his tenure – only he knows.

What is certain is that the coming week will bring clarity and that whatever Guardiola decides, Sunday offered a timely and emphatic reminder of what he is still capable of producing.