Pep Guardiola has no concerns over the mentality of his Manchester City players heading into their final Premier League game of the season, with the FA Cup and Champions League finals on the horizon.
Champions City have nothing to play for at Brentford, but Guardiola insists his squad are in the right frame of mind for the final fixture, and won't be looking too far ahead to the upcoming finals - however tempting that is.
Guardiola will grant his players and staff two days off after the trip to Brentford in order to switch off before the FA Cup final with Manchester United, and insists that is the best way to approach the second and third legs of a potential treble.
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"In my experience the best way to play important finals is to be disconnected as much as possible," he said. "You have to play it as much like a regular Premier League game. That way we will play our best level. If we had played one game a week for the last month, maybe I wouldn’t give the players two days off but in that moment we need to disconnect. Even our physios and doctors and cookers, they work incredibly hard in this period.
"They are ready. I see many details how they come up on days off to make treatments," he said of his players.
"How many hours they stay to make the treatments and recovery time. How players are individually concerned maybe they cannot play the FA Cup final and Champions League final. When you see that you don't have to tell anything and do anything. Prepare the finals like we prepare every single game, we are not going to change any routine about that, and after the artists they are - they have to try to beat them.
"Everybody knows what position we are in. It comes once in a lifetime, twice in a lifetime? Being champions in the Premier League three games before the end and play two finals. Don't come every season. Once we are there, first of all you have to relax and enjoy and do your best. No one can be sure we will be in that position again."
While Guardiola added that he anticipates more players coming to ask him to start the FA Cup or Champions League finals, he also challenged them to use a difficult trip to Brentford to their advantage in keeping the momentum of their 25-game unbeaten run going into those two games.
He explained: "They will come, but not yet. I have a vague idea [of his teams to play the finals.] First Brentford, see what we have to do, and then after we join together today. Okay, how many players do I have? How many are fit? If they are not fit they are out for the first final.
"When have been in the positions a few times you handle it better. Whatever you do is fine as much as you win the games and in the finals.
"Brighton and Brentford will help us. It's not about training sessions, tomorrow [Saturday] we will spend 30 minutes, 45 minutes on the training pitch, no more than that. And the energy on the pitch on the day of the game. As much you laugh make jokes, go there to just play a football game, we will be closer to achieve what we want to achieve."
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