Manuel Pellegrini has thrown the gauntlet down to his side and challenged them to win the club’s first Capital One Cup since 1976 following Tuesday’s 3-1 quarter-final win at Leicester City.
An Aleksandar Kolarov free-kick was added to by a double from Edin Dzeko, with Lloyd Dyer pulling a goal back for the Championship side.
The result keeps City challenging for honours on all fronts and the manager is now aiming for City’s sixth Wembley visit in three years.
“This is an important competition because always to play a final at Wembley is a very beautiful thing,” he told the club’s official website.
“Also, I think it is important to win all the competitions that you are playing, why not if you have to play?”
The continuation of City’s improved away form was a major positive as Pellegrini’s side have now claimed four wins from their last six games on the road.
The club will assess a hamstring injury sustained by Pablo Zabaleta, while Pellegrini did reveal that they could be without top-scorer Sergio Aguero for eight weeks after he limped off against Arsenal.
Utilising the strength in depth that they have in the squad will now be key, with Pellegrini stating that the knocks could be a blessing for players who feel they have been underused.
“A final in Wembley is a big game and it’s important for a team to be used to trying to win all the games we are playing, it’s good for us,” he said.
“It’s also important that all the players of the squad know that they are important. Maybe one is playing more than the other, but we have so many games to play during the year.”
Image courtesy of Mick_gallagher_1959, with thanks
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