Pep Guardiola refused to respond to the comments made by Trent Alexander-Arnold exclusively to FourFourTwo that winning the Premier League title would "mean more" to Liverpool than Manchester City this term.
“Looking back on this era, although they’ve won more titles than us and have probably been more successful, our trophies will mean more to us and our fanbase because of the situations at both clubs, financially, “ Alexander-Arnold told FourFourTwo. “How both clubs have built their teams and the manner in which we’ve done it probably means more to our fans."
With Manchester City travelling to Anfield on Sunday, reporters asked Guardiola what he made of Alexander-Arnold's comments in his pre-match press conference.
The Catalan boss didn't get drawn into a war of words, however, despite the crucial Premier League match fast-approaching. Instead, Guardiola simply wished the England full-back to return to action as soon as possible.
"I wish him a speedy recovery and hope he comes back to the pitch as soon as possible," Guardiola said.
He did, though, acknowledge what both Ruben Dias and Erling Haaland said in response to Alexander-Arnold. Dias claimed that "a treble is a feeling you can only know how it feels when you actually do it", while Haaland highlighted that "I've been here one year and I won the treble and it was quite a nice feeling".
For Guardiola, seeing his players hit back at the Liverpool talisman ahead of such an important game doesn't seem too much of an issue, while also clarifying that his squad wouldn't have needed any added motivation to try and win the game on Sunday, regardless of Alexander-Arnold's words.
"I am so happy with my players all the time. For many, many years," Guardiola said.
"Do you think they want to fight because Erling and Ruben talk? Without these talks we will not fight? We are there and after what happened in the last years we are going to try to do a good game," he added.
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