(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had his spirits cheered with a 5-0 FA Cup thrashing of West Ham United on Friday that the Spaniard hopes will turn his side into 'believers for the rest of the campaign.
Theyy came into the third round encounter at the London Stadium having won four of their last five Premier League games, but a seven-point deficit to Chelsea at the top of the table and some inconsistent recent displays had opened the door to criticism.
The City boss had cut a terse figure following their Premier League victory over Burnley on Monday, giving a tetchy post-match interview having grimly hinted at his own retirement in the build-up.
A comprehensive win at the London Stadium, however, the heaviest home defeat ever inflicted on West Ham in the competition, gave him cause for optimism and he called on his players to take inspiration from the way they got the job done.
'Finally, we were able to keep the ball more than the last games, where it was almost impossible, so we played much, much better in that sense. We create more chances when that happens and we concede few and of course it helps us a lot, he told the BBC.
'Always it is important to win away, it's not easy at West Ham in the cup.
'Hopefully it can help us to make our players believers that they are good enough to play every game. They have to believe they are able to compete wherever.
City were irresistible as they tore into West Ham, taking the lead from the penalty spot through Yaya Toure, who has seemingly been reinstalled as a pivotal presence in the City squad having been frozen out at the start of the campaign.
An own goal from Havard Nordtveit and an effort from David Silva gave the visitors a 3-0 halftime lead while Sergio Aguero and John Stones, who netted his first goal for the club, wrapped up victory in the second half.
'I should have scored in previous games, Stones said. It's nice to get one in a special cup.
'I thought we moved the ball well, the England defender added. 'We changed our system and played with a diamond. It worked really well.
'To get a clean sheet was good — we haven't had too many.
While Guardiola is only just learning the unique romance of the FA Cup, Guardiola is a serial trophy collector and, having won the domestic cups in Spain and Germany, he has set his sights on adding the world's oldest cup competition. 'I'm happy. I don't know when the draw is but we will be there, he said. 'We were a little bit focused on what we had to do here but of course I'm delighted to be involved in the FA Cup.
'Here the people speak a lot about how important the cup is, anything can happen.
'I'm lucky to keep going and live another time in the cup.
With a 10-day gap until City's next match, Guardiola can afford to focus on potential new signings and will speak to the club about bringing in at least one player before the transfer window shuts at the end of January.
'When something happens with injuries we don't have enough (options), he added. 'We will see if there is a possibility to take one.
'Now we have 10 days until the next game so we can discuss with the club what is best for the rest of the season.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic had no excuses for his side's woeful capitulation and called on them to make amends by showing more fight.
'It's a very bad night for us, a big defeat. It's hard to say anything positive when the game finishes like this, he said.
'It's time for the team to show character. Unfortunately we had a few defeats like that and showed character afterwards. Now is the time to do it again.
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