Pep Guardiola rallies his Manchester City troops to show their talent following UEFA ban
Pep Guardiola defiantly reacted to the shocking news of Manchester City getting hit with a two-year ban from the UEFA Champions League on Friday, according to the Athletic UK. The Catalan manager is understood to have kept a training ground meeting on Saturday, where he motivated his players to show the world that ‘we are not money, we are talent’.
UEFA released a statement two days ago where they announced that City had allegedly breached its Financial Fair Play rules by overstating their sponsorship revenue and subsequently failing to co-operate with the ongoing investigation. Guardiola and his players were enjoying much-needed respite from footballing action in the newly-introduced mid-season winter-break when news surfaced that they would not be allowed to partake for in Europe’s most prestigious cup competition for the next two seasons.
The reigning Premier League champions will now take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport whose ruling, possibly in May, will decide the club’s fate. According to reports, the City hierarchy are confident of overturning the ban which could prove to be catastrophic in their rise to European stardom.
No Champions League football for two seasons could not only further delay their dreams of lifting the coveted trophy but also negatively affect the club’s revenue, transfer dealings and current player contracts.
Guardiola, therefore, had to motivate his squad to show their mettle in the remainder of the campaign. He is understood to have reminded the players about their past follies in the Champions League, their defeats against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur and how they are still extremely capable of knocking out Real Madrid this term. He urged the team to be more concentrated than ever because it could be make or break for City in their next few games.
In the photos published by the club on various social media platforms, fans noticed that the players seemed cheerful and level-headed less than 48 hours of the huge announcement. It was also reported that City had contacted all of their players’ agents to tell them to stay calm and assuring them that the ban would be overturned.
The domestic treble holders host West Ham in the rearranged Premier League fixture on Wednesday before traveling to Leicester City, who could still pip them to second-place. The Blues then clash with Real Madrid in the much-anticipated Round of 16 tie at the Santiago Bernabéu before traveling to Wembley for the League Cup final against Aston Villa.
Also read | Manchester City UEFA ban: A brief timeline of events