City message must be BUSINESS AS USUAL
SPARE a thought for City’s players and Pep Guardiola on Friday.
News of a ban may have mattered little to some supporters who have long held UEFA and its premier competition in disdain, or even just those who still prefer Premier League success.
But for the playing staff, the Champions League looms large.
Not only did they have to accept that the reassurances they had been given about avoiding a European ban look to be on shaky ground but with that comes the increased possibility that their chances of lifting such a coveted trophy are significantly reduced.
For Guardiola, Sergio Aguero, Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and others, that has to hurt.
Whatever emotions are going through their heads are unlikely to be made public any time soon.
The manager may well speak about it at his next press conference – he will certainly be asked – but the players have rarely spoken to journalists after games this season whatever the result so will not likely change their stance when the questions will be more difficult. The prison, ority for them, however dull it may be for everyone else, has to be to put it out of their minds as much as they can for upcoming games.
If it inevitably won’t go away, nor can the players or manager do anything about it. What they can do is make sure the next spell of critical matches, starting with West Ham on Wednesday, sees the best version of this City team that have achieved such extraordinary things over the past few seasons.
There have already been too many reactions and distractions this seafrom baffling VAR calls to the Bernardo Silva social media storm, that have proven costly. With a tough Champions League tie and a League Cup final getting ever closer, the players cannot afford anything less than 100 per cent focus.
The best reaction from a team that has repeatedly shown that they will not stay down for long in their relentless pursuit of silverware is to win and win again, and not give an inch of room for any more criticism.
The message from the club since Friday has been that it has been business as usual. It is difficult to believe that the punishment, the way in which it was released, and the stinging criticism that has come as a result, have not had an effect, even if it is to intensify efforts to overrule the verdict.
Likewise, nobody could begrudge Guardiola or the playing staff from considering their futures after such game-changing news. But whatever discussions are had in private, the first response in public has to be the same message that nothing has changed – starting with West Ham.