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Despite the ongoing problems with the Premier League, Manchester City players are focused on the task at hand
Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola has said that his players will not be distracted by the recent allegations filed against them by the Premier League as they aim to catch up with league leaders Arsenal in the title race.
Manchester City players will not be distracted by controversy
Manchester City were charged with several counts of financial rule breaches by the Premier League, and there have been concerns that the controversy will affect the players’ mentality in the race for the Premier League title and the quest for other trophies, including the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup.
In Guardiola’s pre-match press conference for the Aston Villa game, he insisted that his players would not be distracted by the off-field issues, as they have always done their talking on the pitch.
He told reporters, "Why should they be distracted? I'm confident in my players. The moment that Sergio scored, that Ilkay Gundogan scored against Aston Villa, all those moments that we lived belong to us and our fans and our people.
“After, the court will dictate what happens? I'm fully convinced that we will be innocent.”
The charges will not serve as extra motivation either
Interestingly, Guardiola also said that the recent charges and backlash would not serve as extra motivation for the team, instead, he expects everyone to go about their business as usual.
"No, of course what we won on the pitch absolutely everything but you know what happened on Monday, a lot of words, a lot of noise. In the next days I have the feeling that everyone is going to do the job, ourselves on the pitch and our lawyers in the court." He said.
Guardiola’s Manchester City face Aston Villa on Saturday as they start an important run of games that will see them also play Arsenal and Leipzig in the Champions League.
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