Manchester City secured their first silverware of the season after beating Arsenal 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday
James Trafford and Nico O’Reilly were Manchester City’s heroes in the Carabao Cup final(Image: Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
Manchester City have entered the final international break of the season with fresh optimism after beating Arsenal 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. The victory and the manner of it has led many to back City to catch the Gunners in what would be a superb turnaround.
Regardless of whether or not they manage it, winning the League Cup is incredibly important for this group of players as they aim to replicate the dominance of the previous Pep Guardiola generation. With a new sense of confidence and belief, City will enjoy the next few weeks.
With the season heading towards an exciting crescendo, MEN Sport has taken a look at the six winners and losers from this campaign so far.
Winners
Nico O’Reilly
This is not merely recency bias, O’Reilly has enjoyed a brilliant year for the Blues. Guardiola hailed him as the ‘signing of the season’ after the Carabao Cup final and you can see where he was coming from.
O’Reilly is the latest midfielder who has had to adapt to playing left-back but he has done so, excellently. The 21-year-old provided cover when needed but has shown he is more than just a stand-in for City.
In midfield, he has performed well despite bigger names arriving in the summer. His brace at Wembley was just rewards for an impressive campaign.
Bernardo Silva
If this is to be his final chapter, Bernardo is looking to go out on a high. The original utility player for Guardiola has led by example this season and fully deserved to lift that trophy on Sunday.
Should he leave at the end of the campaign, expect Guardiola to shed a tear like he has when the likes of Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne left. The midfielder should be held in the same high regard as those club legends.
Winning silverware this season also means Bernardo’s time at City does not end on a sour note, regardless of what happens between now and May.
Gianluigi Donnarumma
Erling Haaland’s patchy form in recent weeks means he just misses out as being the third winner on the list to Donnarumma. The Italian goalkeeper has been sensational this campaign with his performance at Anfield just one that will live long in the memory.
He arrived as the anti-Guardiola goalkeeper in many ways. While his ability to play out from the back has been understated, he was never going to be the next Ederson.
Instead, he is one of the best shot stoppers in the world and this has led him to keep another sensational goalkeeper out of the team.
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Losers
James Trafford
That other sensational goalkeeper is Trafford. Having signed from Burnley, the 23-year-old would have felt he was going to be first choice, until Donnarumma came along.
He has had to make do with a lack of games but City’s performances in the FA and Carabao Cup has given him more minutes than he perhaps would have received. As is the nature of this season, even those who have lost out have had moments to shine.
Trafford’s moment was under the arch on Sunday and nobody could have been happier for him than Guardiola and Donnarumma.
Phil Foden
After a brilliant November into December period, Foden has gone off the boil for the Blues. He has not scored since the win over Crystal Palace in December and since the Manchester derby, he has been forced into cameo roles from the bench.
This season was expected to be the response after a difficult 2024/25 where fixture congestion took its toll. But it has not quite happened for the midfielder.
He is in the England squad for this international break but there is no guarantee he will go to the World Cup if he does not, a) play more games and b) contribute more goals and assists.
John Stones
Stones has also made the England squad this month but he won’t think his spot on the plane is guaranteed either. The centre-back has had a decorated career at City despite injuries plaguing his career.
This season, a thigh issue kept him out for two months and he has struggled to find a rhythm since. It is expected he will leave at the end of this campaign and whoever snaps up the 31-year-old will be getting a brilliant defender.
But injuries have meant this season has not been the potential farewell tour he deserved.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about what he expects against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final
Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola(Image: Irina R. Hipolito/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola will start James Trafford in the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal as he declared it a ‘big moment’ for his Manchester City team. Gianluigi Donnarumma took Trafford’s place in the side when he joined in September but the No.2 has been backed in the cup competitions and will retain his place for Sunday’s showpiece.
Trafford looked set for a dream return to City in summer after completing a move back from Burnley, turning down Newcastle’s interest to take the No.1 shirt at City. However, he has been left on the bench by Donnarumma for most games and may have to leave the club in summer to get more regular football.
England manager Thomas Tuchel has included Trafford in his squad for the March internationals, albeit four other goalkeepers have also been given the nod in a 35-man group. The City keeper will be sweating over a place at the 2026 World Cup, although starting in a high-profile game will help his cause.
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“For the team, it is a big moment,” said Guardiola. “Players can be happy, unhappy. It is what it is. They have to be here to do the best they can do and after we will see what happens at the end of the season. The important thing is they have to be ready.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has a similar decision to make with his goalkeepers. First-choice stopper David Raya has sat out in the League Cup this season, with Kepa Arrizabalaga starting and pushing to play in the final.
Arrizabalaga faced City in the League Cup final in 2019 when Arteta was still Guardiola’s assistant, and refused to come off when then-Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri tried to substitute him ahead of a penalty shootout. Arrizabalaga stayed on but could not stop City’s penalties as the Blues won out.
Manchester City have Wembley on their mind as they prepare to face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola and Gianluigi Donnarumma congratulate Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford(Image: Ben Roberts – Danehouse/Getty Images)
We may be two days out from the Carabao Cup final, but Manchester City already know one player who will be starting against Arsenal on Sunday. After beating Newcastle, Pep Guardiola confirmed James Trafford would be in goal against the Gunners. “He’s an extraordinary ‘keeper and I’m really pleased,” City’s head coach said.
“With the final, he’s going to play the first final of Carabao Cup for him and in FA Cup of course everything can happen.” It has been well documented how tough this season has been for Trafford. Arriving from Burnley under the impression he would eventually be the club’s first choice, the 23-year-old soon lost his spot to Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The Italian has barely put a foot wrong since arriving and that has left Trafford on the fringes. He has been consigned to FA Cup and Carabao Cup appearances. His only start in the Champions League ended in defeat to Bayer Leverkusen and Donnarumma returning for the remaining games in the competition.
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In the summer, Trafford will pursue an exit from City. The goalkeeper should be playing regular first-team football, but while Donnarumma remains in Manchester, Trafford will not get that at the Etihad Stadium. And this leaves City with a problem to solve.
Guardiola never stands in the way of a player looking for a fresh opportunity. But Trafford’s lack of game time puts a ceiling on the price City can demand for his services.
Trafford has spent the season sitting on the bench and, as a result, teams will feel they have an advantage in negotiations because he wants something City can’t provide.
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The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.
However, a brilliant performance in the Carabao Cup final could change the narrative. Suddenly, City could point to the final as an example of a player who is ready to step into any side and perform straightaway, rather than a player who could take time to get up to speed having spent so long playing second fiddle.
Newcastle were interested in Trafford last summer and the Magpies are likely to return at the end of the season.
Nick Pope’s time as Eddie Howe’s No.1 seems to be over and Trafford would be an improvement on Aaron Ramsdale. But performing well in a game of this magnitude will increase the interest and potentially launch a bidding war.
That would be the perfect scenario for City. Regardless of the score on Sunday, if Trafford performs, the Blues could add millions to Trafford’s price tag.
Chelsea have been told to go all out to sign a Man City star this summer amid their ongoing troubles this season
Liam Rosenior and Chelsea have been told to sign James Trafford from Man City this summer.
Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole believes the Blues should pursue James Trafford vigorously this summer, given Robert Sanchez’s inconsistent performances.
The England youth international impressed with Burnley in the Championship last season, guiding the Clarets to promotion back to the Premier League.
Trafford attracted interest from numerous top-flight clubs before Man City triggered a buy-back clause in their arrangement with Burnley, securing him for £31million.
Nevertheless, he’s featured in only 11 matches across all competitions ahead of the FA Cup fixture against Newcastle United.
However, the Blues have also been linked with a move for AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, which hints they could try to sign a goalkeeper if the right one becomes available.
Yet Cole believes Chelsea shouldn’t miss the chance to acquire Trafford this summer if he becomes available.
The former Chelsea player told Paddy Power: “It’s hard with Robert Sanchez because he’s performed well at times. He came out of the starting lineup to Jorgenson the other day.
“So it doesn’t look like Liam Rosenior has settled on a No.1 as much as he says he ‘doesn’t have a No.1’. That’s just how he operates.
“When a goalkeeper like James Trafford becomes available, then Chelsea may have to strike. He is improving, is Sanchez, but I still think there’s another level. Is it going to be there in time for Chelsea to kick on and be challenging for the Champions League and competing with the Arsenal and Man City’s of the world?
“Liverpool have got Allison, Man City have got [Gianluigi] Donnarumma, and Arsenal have got David Raya. That’s the level of goalkeeper Chelsea need. Sanchez can get there, but can he get there quick enough?”
Trafford was also linked with a switch to Newcastle United this summer but opted to rejoin his former club City, though things haven’t gone to plan for the England youth international with Gianluigi Donnarumma firmly established as first choice.
When questioned just last month about his role as cup goalkeeper at City, Trafford explained: “I didn’t expect the situation [with Donnarumma] to happen but it happened, so just get on with it.
“So it’s happened so I work very hard every day and see what happens, give it my best shot. No, it wasn’t [no.1 spot promised]. So it is what it is.
“It’s football, you’ve got to keep grafting every day and the games that come, play as hard as you can. This is just another experience to add to my career and it has been a good learning experience.”
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Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford returned to the club in summer but was quickly displaced by Gianluigi Donnarumma
James Trafford and Gianluigi Donnarumma
James Trafford said that he had no idea Manchester City were signing Gianluigi Donnarumma when he agreed to move to the Etihad. Trafford could leave after just one season after finding his ambition of regular football for club and country dashed inside a month.
Newcastle were confident making Trafford their No.1 last summer and offered Burnley a fee that the Premier League newcomers would have accepted. However, City had a clause from when they sold the goalkeeper that allowed them to match any bid and they duly did, leaving the decision in Trafford’s hands.
The 23-year-old ultimately opted for a return to the Etihad as his best chance of meeting his ambitions to become a No.1 at the highest level for club and country. However, before the transfer window closed City brought in Donnarumma from PSG and declared the 26-year-old as a signing for the next decade.
Donnarumma has said he was aware of City’s interest before the summer transfer window started and that contact strengthened after the Club World Cup – a month before Trafford was signed. According to Trafford, while he wasn’t definitively told he would be No.1 when he picked City over Newcastle he wasn’t told about Donnarumma either.
“It wasn’t that, but it wasn’t what happened [either], so it is what it is, it’s football,” he said. “It is what it is, you’ve got to keep grafting every day and the games that come, play as hard as you can. It’s just another experience to add to my career and yeah, it has been good learning.”
Donnarumma instantly came into the team when he signed in September and Trafford has not played a Premier League game since, having to be content with cup competitions for a chance to shine. He has taken his opportunities, making important stops in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle as well as the FA Cup win over Salford on Saturday.
His lack of game time has put his England place in jeopardy for the World Cup though. Rather than pushing to be No.1, he was left out of the last squad altogether before being belatedly called up when Nick Pope picked up an injury.
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The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.
Trafford is trying to make the best of his situation, but did not sound upbeat when he stopped to speak after the Salford game. Having looked to leave City in the January window, he did little to play down the idea that an exit is on the cards for the summer as he admitted that he hadn’t spoken to anybody at England about his hopes of going to the World Cup.
“I haven’t spoken to them [about] if that’s enough, but I play as well as I can and train every day very hard and it’s just down to me. Obviously everyone knows what’s going on with me, so I’ve just got to, whenever I play, play as well as I can.
“I’ve obviously got a contract, so yeah, I don’t know what happens next season. I just know that I’ll just take it a day at a time and try and improve.”
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Our regular Q&A this week looks at Omar Marmoush and James Trafford after their starring roles in midweek as well as the noise around Pep Guardiola
11:00, 07 Feb 2026
Could James Trafford still be at Manchester City when Pep Guardiola leaves?
There’s no shortage of Manchester City topics to discuss as Pep Guardiola’s men look to compete in four competitions this season after the disappointment of last year. We’ve got every game and press conference covered for you but we also know that there is so much more going on around that.
That’s why we are holding regular Q&A sessions with our chief City writer Simon Bajkowski. The day of the week it comes out on may change depending on what City’s schedule looks like but essentially this is your chance to get an answer on anything you want – simply pop your question here at any time of the week and Simon will pick them all up wrap everything up in one place.
This week takes a look at Omar Marmoush and James Trafford after their starring roles in getting City to the Carabao Cup final, as well as a look at the noise around Pep Guardiola and why all the stories have started to come about.
What agenda does Pep has against Omar Marmoush? DarlingtineI think pep should start giving Marmoush more playing time. Oyee Benard
I wanted to start with these questions this week, not to upset the commenters but because it is a useful exercise in how quickly things can change. Darlingtine posted his comment after Sunday’s game when Omar Marmoush had been given all of about seven minutes of injury time to make a difference in the Spurs game. The next one came at half-time against Newcastle after the forward’s two goals.
Marmoush was vital to City last season but this year before he went to AFCON I really didn’t think he was anywhere near his best. Being back-up to Erling Haaland is incredibly difficult – just ask Julian Alvarez – and it is almost always a losing cause to be thrust in to fill in for him and expected to show every time why you should be playing. But I didn’t think Marmoush was close to his levels from last season before he went away, however much he wasn’t helped by lack of minutes.
Going away with Egypt has helped him, and he looked fresh and sharp on Wednesday night – something Haaland hasn’t in the calendar year. Play like that and he will get minutes – that is the only agenda Guardiola has. It does throw up an interesting question for Anfield though, because Marmoush is more in form than Haaland but will Guardiola leave his No.9 on the bench?
Our statistics of second half vs first half since 1st January until now has shown weak in game management this is because in first half we score but in second half not and we conceded more, pep can you work on it? KJDWhy is MNC since the beginning of the year has become a first half team? jimvri
This currently feels like the biggest issue with City. They are at least good whenever they play a first half and well below that as soon as they come out for the second. Newcastle was arguably one of the best examples of this, where the two 45s simply didn’t marry up. Guardiola has ideas for why it is happening but it feels like a range of different factors that all rear their heads at different points to cause problems.
City had similar collapses in the games against Fulham and Leeds before Christmas, but I don’t think you can underestimate the fact that Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol have been missing from the heart of the defence. Marc Guehi has been brought in as a leader in the last month and if he gets a foul given against him when Dominic Solanke kicks his leg at Spurs maybe that is enough to stop the rot. It seems like City have too many players who aren’t fully immersed in what Guardiola wants from them because they are new to the squad and, in most cases, young in their careers. That is perfectly acceptable but also difficult because the only cure is experience so basically City need their more senior players back on the pitch if they want a quick fix .
City has spent quite amount of money for players for last season and the current one but results dont tally, why? jimvri
This is an interesting question and a comment that I have seen knocking about in recent weeks: should City be doing better to say they’ve spent about £430m in the last three windows? It is of course down for individuals to decide but does seem to come down to momentum.
If you’d said after last year that City at this point would be in a cup final and well-placed in the three other competitions they can win I think that would have been seen as exactly what was wanted. But because the Premier League is there every week and City’s results have slipped in the last month, that is questioning whether Guardiola’s side should be doing better.
I think they absolutely should be in a title race for the money they have spent and with the existing resources (like Guardiola) they had. If they fall away in the second half of the season and Arsenal run away with the league, that will be disappointing. However, it has been obvious for some time that City aren’t as good as the sum of their parts and most of their signings are not close to their peak yet. If they are able to win a trophy this season, it would be harsh to say that results haven’t lined up with spending.
How does Pep Guardiola plan to address the defensive injuries with the upcoming fixtures? Will Marc Guehi get a chance to start against tough opponents like Liverpool or Arsenal?Mainza Hanyinda
Another question that involves timing. Guehi will almost certainly start at Liverpool after infamously not being involved with the Carabao Cup game, and he was a stabilising presence at Spurs. He obviously can’t face Arsenal in the league cup final but would definitely be in contention for the league game at the Etihad.
Ruben Dias is back in training though and suddenly so is John Stones when people were beginning to wonder if he would ever be seen again. That certainly would have been an Anfield wildcard, but whenever Stones is able to return it certainly strengthens City’s options. Josko Gvardiol may struggle to return this season but Stones, Dias, Guehi, Ake, Khusanov and Alleyne would leave Guardiola suddenly flush with options.
Hi Simon, The speculation in the media about Pep Guardiola’s future in 2026 feels excessive. With the second half of the season being such a decisive period, there is a sense that these rumours may be used to unsettle Manchester City. Is there any indication that rival clubs are deliberately leveraging this narrative to destabilise City? And internally, how does the club view this speculation, and how is it managing the noise around Guardiola’s future during a crucial stage of the season? TJ
Hi TJ, thanks for this question – I feel like it comes up a lot around stories and big games. I can’t speak for everyone in the media and wouldn’t want to speak for everyone in the media, but around Guardiola’s future at the very least I would expect people want the story because it is one of the biggest in football and we all want to be the one to say that we had it first. Ego is the biggest agenda for us as journalists!
People have been saying that Guardiola is off, or is staying, for years and from a journalistic point of view as soon as you get to a point where you are happy and confident that the information you are getting is right you run with it. That is different for everyone, but also as soon as one person does it everyone else will get a phone call from their bosses asking why they haven’t written the story and telling them that they need to pull something together.
The club are treating it all with a pinch of salt. They know it’s going to be a huge story and that there is always going to be some level of noise. At the same time, they would like to control the situation as best they can – as they managed with Guardiola’s arrival and his subsequent renewals. There have been plenty of other years where Guardiola’s future or the charges or anything else have appeared to hang over the squad for at least part of the season, whereas this time you can’t really say that’s the case and the club would point to Guehi and Semenyo arriving to show that they can be future-proofed from any decision Guardiola makes.
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After the carabao cup victory over Newcastle, pep praised Trafford and said the club needs 2 great keepers. Will pep try to make him stay in summer?Elliott
Another excellent question. Guardiola would love to keep Trafford as he wants to keep all of his players, but also he is better than most managers at understanding when and why players want to leave – a benefit of someone who had the same career before moving into coaching. Trafford has a lot of friends at the club who will do their best to try and keep him.
At the same time, everyone there will know that his decision to move to City last summer has cost him. In August he had dreams of being England No.1 at the World Cup and now he may not even make Thomas Tuchel’s squad – that would be really hard to take. Both Guardiola and sporting director Hugo Viana have spoken of Gianluigi Donnarumma as a player for the next 10 years at City, and even if it is two then Trafford has to go for his own sake.
Please I want to ask a question about Elliot Anderson is he Manchester City top target in the summer transfer window, because I see news of him too firmly interested in joining Manchester City as well despite interest from other club is this truly happening. Then secondly what other players is Man City board interested in signing in the summer and who are the top targets for the replacement of Pep Guardiola and is he leaving after this season. Thank you. Prince
How many midfielders(6/8) do you think city will sign in the summer if Bernardo and Kovacic leave and is there anyone other than Anderson and Tonali on the list? Max
We covered possible Guardiola replacements last week and so it will be no surprise that City will want one of the best options around when theirs does decide to leave. At the minute, that conversation includes Kompany, Enrique, Alonso, Tuchel, De Zerbi and others but it very much depends on the circumstances of when a decision is made as to who is available at the time and in the best place.
In terms of midfielders, Guardiola certainly did his best to ensure people link Sandro Tonali to City by speaking to him for so long in the middle of the pitch. The manager insisted they share old connections but it certainly put people in the north-east on alert days after Tonali was linked with a shock deadline day move to Arsenal that seemed to have been sparked by his agent.
Elliot Anderson remains top choice in midfield and should be a relatively straightforward deal to do if City are convinced he’s worth the money, and they will likely need another. However, Nico O’Reilly has started to be used as a midfielder again and shown promise so he could take that prospective spot and leave City to focus more on full-backs in the summer window.
This platform is excellent. Kosamu Rosinga
This isn’t a question but it is appreciated. We’ve tried Q&As a number of time down the years but they have never really taken off, I think in part because the mechanism for asking questions has been too clunky and illogical (and if you don’t hear from me again it’s because I’ve been sacked for saying this). I have been enjoying doing these since we started them up again a few months ago so it’s always nice as a journalist if people like reading things that you like writing.
Have a good week, everyone, and keep the questions coming.
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