NICK CUSHING admitted he is “obsessed with winning trophies” ahead of opening his second spell in charge of Manchester City with tomorrow’s Women’s League Cup final.

City face Chelsea at Pride Park, five days on from sacking head coach Gareth Taylor and bringing Cushing back as interim boss for the rest of the season.

Cushing guided City to their first major trophy when they won the League Cup in 2014 and they subsequently lifted the Women’s Super League title, the FA Cup and the League Cup again before he departed in 2020.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s clash with Sonia Bompastor’s WSL leaders, Cushing told a press conference: “It’s a good challenge.

“We’re playing against the best team in the league, in an amazing stadium, with an opportunity to win. We won this cup as my first trophy in 2014 and since that moment on, I’ve been obsessed with winning trophies.”

Cushing returns with City lying fourth in the WSL, outside the Champions League places by a point, having played a game more than third-placed Arsenal.

Tomorrow’s contest is the first of four consecutive meetings with Chelsea, who they play home and away in the Champions League quarter-finals, either side of a league encounter at the City of Manchester Stadium.

City also have an FA Cup semi-final clash at home against Manchester United next month.

Cushing said: “I’m confident in my ability as a coach and when I look around the dressing room, I’m confident we can be competitive.

“I said to the players, if I didn’t believe in the group and I didn’t believe this was going to be an exciting challenge, I wouldn’t have taken it.

“As coaches we want to prepare our teams to go against the best and the next four games are the ultimate challenge for our group, so we have to embrace it and attack it.

“The league position is not ideal, but the reality is we’re in all four competitions and the Champions League place is still achievable.”