Manchester City's captain, Ilkay Gundogan, has stated that his team's surprising League Cup exit at the hands of a struggling Southampton squad was a "wake-up call" as they attempt to overtake Arsenal in the Premier League standings.
Despite having no shots on goal, City lost 2-0 to Southampton in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Despite replacing their starters in the second half with Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, the eight-time champion visitors were unable to stage a comeback. For the Saints, Sekou Mara and Moussa Djenepo scored goals.
The defending Premier League winners face Manchester United on Saturday at Old Trafford, and Gundogan feels they can't afford to make any errors. The Germany international noted that his team could not afford any slip-ups or bad performances as his side is presently five points behind league leaders Arsenal. “Hopefully, if there is something good we can take out of this game, it was something like a wake-up call at the right time. Even though it is sad and disappointing to be out of this cup, hopefully, at the end, in a few weeks we can at least look back and take something good out of this game.”
If City play as they did against Southampton, its manager Pep Guardiola warned they have “no chance” of beating a red-hot United team. Each game presents a new challenge, he remarked. “But of course, if we perform this way, we will not have a chance. We know exactly what we have to do to play better, so that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
Nathan Jones, the manager of Southampton, enjoyed the most successful game of his brief career. The Welshman is optimistic about the future after the win that set up a two-legged semi-final with Newcastle. However, his focus has now returned to the Premier League relegation struggle.
Jones, whose team is last in the league and will visit fellow cellar-dwellers Everton on Saturday, praised the Premier League’s most outstanding team, saying, “City are one of the best sides in the world, with the most innovative manager of all time. We knew we had to be at our best, but we showed from minute one to 96 and a half that we can be a very good Premier League side.”