Fernandinho believes winning the League Cup could prove to be a trigger for even more silverware at Manchester City this season.
The Blues won the competition two years ago when they beat Sunderland in the final, and then went on to add a second Premier League title in the space of three years. They will once more compete for the trophy again next month after beating Everton to overturn a first leg semi-final defeat, with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool now standing in their way of success.
As much as City would love to win the League Cup again, there is no doubt their preferred trophies would be another league title, the UEFA Champions League, and the FA Cup which also ranks higher. But Fernandinho has placed great importance on the three-handled trophy, claiming winning it can prove to be a springboard for the greater challenges ahead.
“Winning it two years ago was important for our season – we won the cup in March and then had a lot of games that month in the Champions League and Premier League,” he said. “The confidence of the team was definitely higher for those games as we had already shown on the pitch what we can do. If we can win it again we will be very happy. Winning trophies is making history.”
Manuel Pellegrini’s plans have been disrupted, though, by the knee and ankle injuries sustained by Kevin de Bruyne during the win over the Toffees. The Belgian international faced 10 weeks out with the setback, but the Chilean coach told Sky Sports: “I am optimistic he will not be out for the rest of the season. He has been very important to us all season.”
