Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has conceded that his side have failed to put games away and see leads through in the second-half of late.Reijnders was on the scoresheet as City secured a...
Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has conceded that his side have failed to put games away and see leads through in the second-half of late.
Reijnders was on the scoresheet as City secured a place in the Carabao Cup final after running out 3-1 winners (5-1 on aggregate) in the return leg of their semi-final tie with Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.
The 27-year-old joined City from AC Milan for £45 million last summer and is vying for silverware on several fronts in his debut season at the Etihad Stadium, though Pep Guardiola’s men will need to step it up in the coming months to finish the season with major trophies.
City have been far from convincing so far in 2026 and after squandering a two goal lead against Tottenham last week, Guardiola’s side have won just one of their last six Premier League games – allowing Arsenal to establish a six point lead at the top of the table.
Guardiola will be desperate for three points against Liverpool on Sunday as Manchester City look to turn the ship around and go on a winning run, having set up a Wembley final date with Arsenal in midweek.
City shuffled their lineup in the return leg against Newcastle United as Tijjani Reijnders made the most of a recall to the starting XI, putting in a five-star display and giving Guardiola a welcome selection headache ahead of Sunday’s clash in Merseyside.
Reijnders has enjoyed a fine start to life in England since joining Manchester City and in conversation with Sky Sports after Wednesday’s triumph over Newcastle, the Netherlands international admitted that his side haven’t been up to the mark of late.
“We were very eager to go to the (Carabao Cup) final and we showed that from the first minute. Amazing team performance,” the midfielder said.
“We weren’t as sloppy as in the previous games, especially in the second-half, and that helped us a lot. I play football because I want to win trophies, and now going to Wembley – my first time there – that will be amazing.
“We will do everything to win the Carabao Cup. We will be very hungry, and we want to win this title from Arsenal.”
In an interview with CBS Sports, Reijnders added: “We want to win everything that we can and we are still in the race for four titles. We are very hungry and very happy that we reached the (Carabao Cup) final!”
Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland, Marc Guehi, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Rodri are all expected to return to the starting XI against Liverpool, with no room for error for Manchester City if they are serious about winning a fifth Premier League title in six seasons come May.
Category: General Sports
