Fernandinho: Goal tally unimportant if City don't win trophies

Speaking ahead of Sunday's Carling One Cup final against Sunderland, the Brazilian argues that any team's success must be judged solely on titles rather than attacking brilliance

Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho says that his side's impressive goal tally will count for nothing if they fail to pick up any silverware this season.

Manuel Pellegrini's men have found the net 118 times in what has been a remarkable campaign in front of goal, but the Brazilian believes that in order to be judged a great team they must fill the trophy cabinet at the Etihad Stadium, starting with the Capital One Cup on Sunday.

"The goals don't matter if you don't win a trophy," he told Goal ahead of City's Wembley showdown with Sunderland. "For me, it is the trophies that are important, not the goals. They still matter but it is important we win the [final].

"We have our way of playing and we play certain parts of the game very well. We have good players and, if we can get the ball around the box, they can score a lot of goals."

The former Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder, who has impressed in his first season in English football, will be looking to win his first trophy when City travel to Wembley. He shares this aim with Pellegrini but says that victory over the Black Cats would be for the whole club and not just the Chilean.

"The trophy is not particularly for the manager but for the players and the staff as well," Fernandinho added. "The titles are important forever, it doesn't matter when you win. They keep you motivated to win the Premier League and the Champions League.

"He's very calm like me. We have a good relationship and, personally, I want to win the title for him as well as anyone else.

"I think he analyses the team very well. He has good sensations about the players and knows the way we need to play. He is good at knowing how to defend [as well as attack]."

If Fernandinho is pick up a winner's medal, he and his team-mates will have to perform a whole letter better than they did in their 1-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light in November.

"One thing that is very important is that we play completely different from when we lost to Sunderland," he declared.

"We have to be completely different in our attitude and in this game our players and staff will be prepared to win this title and fight to the end of the game."