Pep Guardiola: 'We are not yet at Arsenal's level at this moment'

Despite having convincingly defeated Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final, Pep Guardiola still believes that Manchester City is currently not on the same level as Arsenal.

Early morning on March 23rd, Manchester City defeated Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final thanks to Nico O’Reilly's brace in the second half. This victory is a significant boost for the Manchester City squad after a difficult season.

Manager Pep Guardiola could not hide his satisfaction after Manchester City defeated Arsenal to claim the title in the Carabao Cup final, in a match where he admitted the team experienced extremely difficult moments.

Speaking after the match, the Spanish strategist emphasized the special significance of this trophy in the context of Manchester City having just gone through a challenging series of matches:

"Winning a trophy is always important, but this time it is even more special. We had two very difficult weeks. Arsenal suffocated us in the first 15 minutes, making it almost impossible to play our game. But afterwards, we began to control the second-ball situations and gradually regained control of the match."

Pep also offered many compliments for the opponent and his colleague Mikel Arteta, stating that Arsenal is currently one of the most difficult teams to defeat in Europe.

"I am truly pleased because we overcame a team that is almost unbeatable. What Mikel has built is very impressive," he said.

This championship also helps Guardiola raise his total number of Carabao Cup titles to 5 in 10 years, an achievement he admits is increasingly harder to attain in the context of modern football being more fiercely competitive than ever.

"Every trophy now is much harder than before. Every team is strong, organized, and always ready to punish mistakes."

Despite winning the cup, Pep remained cautious when assessing Manchester City's current strength. He believes the team has not reached the level of their own past selves, or of Arsenal at the present moment.

"We are still not a team that has reached the level of Arsenal at this moment, or of our own past selves. But we always find a way to win trophies."

When asked about the Premier League title race, Pep replied: "Of course, I wish we were leading by 9 points. But everything is in Arsenal's hands. We need time, we need a real break. I am exhausted, and after that we will proceed step by step."