The Blues face the sizeable obstacle of Arsenal in the semi-final and the winners will then face either Chelsea or Spurs – but Pep believes winning the trophy would be so important for his team going into next season.
“For all clubs, titles are so important,” said the City boss.
“Of course, titles help to win confidence that the club is able to do great things. Winning titles gives you the self-confidence to say we’re good enough to compete. Whether we win the trophy or not, nothing will change in terms of expectations for us.
“I would like to win the FA Cup so my players realise how good they are. At the moment, they don’t realise how good they are, but winning titles helps this. When you win a title, it’s a lot of stress and pressure, and if you handle that the next time it will be a little bit easier. That’s why it’s important.
“My task is to show them how many good things they do in the game. Of course, they believe, but this is a fantastic club and team, I’m so proud of what we’ve done so far and how we’ve overcome bad moments such the way we played against Liverpool after the Champions League defeat to Monaco. That is what I want to see from my teams.”
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Asked whether he would tap into Yaya’s Wembley experience and the fact he scored the winner on the 2011 FA Cup semi and final, Pep said: “What will I say to him? I will tell him to do it again!
“When he came back he played really good - there was a period he didn’t play and he knows why. You know my opinion about him. Against Southampton, he played really well and he has been fantastic for us.”
Finally, on his own Wembley experiences he admitted the venue will always hold a special place in his career both as a player and as a manager.
“Wembley is so important to me,” he said. “Ronald Koeman scored against Sampdoria and Barcelona won the Champions League for the first time and, secondly against United at Wembley as a coach and especially in the way we played there. Wembley is important part of my life. To go back there will be always special.”
