Guardiola thinks they won't better last season without a Premier League title, while Smith says Villa will avoid relegation if they play like they did in the final.
SHOWS: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (MARCH 1, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) MANCHESTER CITY MANAGER, PEP GUARDIOLA, ON IF THIS SEASON WILL BE BETTER THAN LAST SEASON, SAYING: "But I think the most beautiful one is the Premier League and we're not going to win (it).
So, be better than the last season, I don't think it's going to happen.
Always I believe the Premier League or La Ligas or the domestic important title is the most difficult one.
Because it means every single day the consistent - I think we were enough consistent comparing to the last season I would say, maybe not in that level.
But, I would say we have the numbers like a normal Premier League, we could win but the other team (Liverpool) was exceptional." 2.
WHITE FLASH 3.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) ASTON VILLA MANAGER, DEAN SMITH, SAYING: "We take it game by game, we always have.
We came here to win a final, to win a trophy and we haven't managed to do that.
But, our concentration now goes onto the Premier League.
You can't hide away from the fact that we're in the bottom three now with the results that happened yesterday.
But, what we can take is an awful lot of heart from that performance today and if we play like that against many teams in the league then we'll get out of that relegation spot with the game in hand that we have as well." STORY: Manchester City continued their imperious stranglehold over the League Cup, defeating Aston Villa 2-1 with goals from Sergio Aguero and Rodri in the final at Wembley on Sunday (March 1) to win the trophy for a third straight season.
Despite winning the competition for a fifth time in the last seven seasons, City manager Pep Guardiola believes the season will not be better than their last campaign without a Premier League title.
Meanwhile, Villa boss, Dean Smith, said his side will manage to avoid relegation should they continue to play as well as they did in the final.
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