Man City unleash new era as Arsenal swatted aside but Pep Guardiola question remains

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Manchester City beat Arsenal to win the Carabao Cup and inject fresh intrigue into the Premier League title race but question marks over Pep Guardiola's future remain.

As Manchester City's players passed the Carabao Cup trophy down the line to huge cheers from their supporters, Pep Guardiola stood and watched.

From the look on his face you wouldn't necessarily know City had won but this is a man who has been here before. Wembley has been a second home for the Blues under Guardiola and more often than not it's ended with a trophy.

This was the manager's fifth victory in the competition and it will have given him huge satisfaction and justification given the rebuild and changing of the guard over the past 18 months.

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That they swatted aside an Arsenal team who, until 6pm on Sunday were on for a quadruple, shows what this City side can do and is capable of. It points to a bright future with a growing and improving group. But the big question is: will Guardiola be here for next season?

He has had ample opportunity to quash any suggestion that this will be his last year at the Etihad but hasn't done so. Equally, there is no concrete indication that he will depart in the summer and he has spoken several times on what this new-look City team can offer. The Catalan has been as passionate and full throttle as ever this term and he certainly doesn't give the impression of a man who is winding down.

Does Sunday's result change things? Probably not in isolation. Guardiola will leave on his terms and at this stage it might be that not even he knows what will come next. The international break offers an opportunity for him to consider his future - should he feel he needs to - and City will always have one eye on who might succeed him.

The noise around Enzo Maresca continues, while perhaps Bayern Munich boss and City great Vincent Kompany would be first choice if the timing aligns.

Guardiola has done it all at the Etihad. 2023 was a crowning campaign that cannot be topped but the promise of what this team is capable of was evident on Sunday. There is more to come.

In his programme notes at Wembley, Guardiola said: "As a football manager it is days like today you live for - playing against a top team and a top manager with a chance to win a trophy. It feels special."

How many more days and trophies does Guardiola have at City? It's the question nobody knows the answer to. A Carabao Cup final hasn't changed that.