Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will use financial charges to create a 'siege mentality', says Joe Cole
ByTNT Sports
Published 11/02/2023 at 12:28 GMT
Joe Cole and Gianfranco Zola believe that Pep Guardiola will use the Premier League's financial charges put forward to Manchester City as added motivation for his players to go and win the title this season. City could potentially be handed a points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League if they are found guilty of breaching the league's rules.
Man City have 'already been condemned' - Guardiola on club's financial charges
Video credit: SNTV
Pep Guardiola will be using the financial charges imposed on Manchester City in the last week to create a siege mentality within his squad, says BT Sport's Joe Cole.
City were charged by the Premier League on Monday for allegedly breaching more than 100 of the organisation's financial rules.
City were found guilty of committing "serious breaches" of UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations in 2020 but a two-year ban from European competition was overturned at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
On Friday, Guardiola was defiant in his press conference ahead of Man City's Premier League clash with Aston Villa on Sunday.
He said that City are "already being condemned" by the other 19 Premier League clubs, the media and football fans and is convinced his employers have nothing to be guilty of.
With a legal case into City's finances set to get underway, Cole believes Guardiola will use the uncertainty about the club's future to motivate his players as they chase their seventh Premier League title.
"From a players perspective they will just be concentrating on the next game," he told BT Sport. "All this stuff goes on above you effectively.
"Pep has used it as a siege mentality. He will use it to galvanise the team and they need galvanising on the pitch.
"The players will be happy with what the manager has said and they will just be concentrating on the weekend."
Gianfranco Zola believes Guardiola's comments in his press conference will have put his players at ease after a turbulent week.
"I'm sure he will be using [this siege mentality] because he will use it to motivate the players even more," he said.
"It's tricky one because everyone will be commenting on this and they will be affected but knowing his ability to use the motivation on his side I'm sure he will deliver that.
"The fact the manager has come out with the strong affirmations like he did. If I was a player for Manchester City I would be very pleased with that and I'd very much be reassured."
Rio Ferdinand believes Guardiola will have asked for a full explanation from the Man City hierarchy ahead of his press conference on Friday before he came out wholeheartedly supporting the club.
He said: "It screams to me that he's had a really in-depth conversation with the powers that be at the club and they have told him in no uncertain terms that they are innocent and that they haven't broken any of the rules.
"He's an intelligent guy and he's experienced enough in this game. He's not going to pin himself to something where they could be kind of holding that [against him].
"The board and the owners have said 'we are not guilty, stay with us, trust us, you've trusted us to this point, you have to come with us again' and he's decided 'right, this is my family and I'll stick with them.'"
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