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Pep Guardiola unsure how Man City stars feel after title party as he issues warning ahead of FA Cup and Champions League finals.
Pep Guardiola has cautioned his Manchester City players that with two finals on the horizon, they must allow their concentration to flag after winning the Premier League.
If City wants to find a way to complete the triple, Guardiola maintains that they must continue to perform at their very best. The team has already clinched the championship and still has two Premier League games still to play, against Brentford on Sunday and Brighton on Wednesday.
They will next compete against Manchester United in the FA Cup final on June 3 before facing Inter a week later in an attempt to win the triple crown for the first time since their city rivals.
Asked about his team’s psyche, Guardiola replied: “I prefer to be already champion, but maybe to be really committed against United and Inter, be in contention to win the PL. They have the party after the game. I don’t know how they feel. They have to be ready to run a lot.
“The best way to prepare for the final is be ready. The players set the standards, they have to maintain it. It’s normal the energy would drop. Arsenal play for just the PL, we have FA Cup, Champions League, the energy we spend is massive. It’s normal you drop, have to avoid it or don’t drop much. Otherwise the two teams can hurt us. Play our game, adapt the way we play, arrive to United and Inter in the best condition possible.”
As the season nears its conclusion, City will probably rest players again. They have done so in recent weeks. For instance, Erling Haaland didn’t play in the 1-0 victory over Chelsea last weekend.
Given that he has already informed his players that they must win the Champions League in order to be regarded as a “great” squad, Guardiola is almost expected to change his lineup when they take on Brighton on Wednesday.
With two more victories, City can finish first in the league with 94 points if they win their remaining two games. City will try to do that. They will then try to win two more titles, which would create history.