Marc Guehi says Manchester City's players are "pretty calm" and have "a lot of trust and belief in the football club" despite City being found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules.
The England defender spoke on Monday, on the eve of City's Champions League home game against AEK Athens, with the verdicts still hanging over a season that, on the pitch, could hardly have started better. City have won all seven of their opening league games under Enzo Maresca to lead the Premier League by three points from champions Arsenal.
Calm inside the dressing room
"The team spirit has been really good, every single person, player, staff and fans are backing us and it has been great to see," Guehi said at the pre-match press conference, in quotes reported by SuperSport.
"We're pretty calm. There's a lot of relaxed faces because we have a lot of trust and belief in the football club and what's been going on here.
"It can be very easy to be affected by the noise that's going on. But I'm so happy to see the team spirit, the team bonding and everyone taking to what's happening and just focusing on the football."
Asked whether the players had been given any details about why the club hierarchy are so confident of a successful appeal, Guehi was clear: "No, nothing's been said. The only thing that's been said is to focus on the football, which is all we can do."
Guilty verdicts, no punishment yet
City's perfect start has been achieved against the backdrop of a mass of guilty verdicts, which have led to calls for huge points deductions, colossal fines and even the stripping of some of their Premier League titles.
Significantly, however, no punishments have yet been announced. City have repeatedly denied wrongdoing and are appealing against the verdicts — a process Maresca has already insisted leaves his side feeling "more united", as covered in our earlier report on the verdict fallout.
Guehi, who joined City from Crystal Palace in a £20 million move in January last year, said his trust came from his own experience of the club. "Ever since I've got to the club, the club have been fantastic with me," the 26-year-old replied. "The support that I've had, tough times on the pitch and off the pitch.
"I'm aware already of the success the club has already had in the past and I want to be someone who's part of the future success."
So what happens next?
On the pitch, the immediate task is Europe. City's only blemish so far this campaign was a 4-2 Champions League defeat by title-holders Paris Saint-Germain, and they will look to return to winning ways against AEK Athens on Tuesday night, with TNT Sports showing the game live.
Maresca does not have a full squad to choose from, however. As we reported earlier on Monday, Semenyo faces up to eight weeks out with a knee injury, while Erling Haaland remains a doubt after scoring twice in the 3-2 win over Ipswich Town but suffering a knock late in that game.
Off the pitch, everything now turns on the appeal — and on when, and how severely, any punishment is finally announced. A points deduction would reshape the title race City currently lead; until then, the league leaders are entitled to keep banking points while the lawyers argue.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Guehi's calm is exactly what City need to project, and it may even be genuine — this squad has played its best football while the storm raged outside. But trust and belief do not decide appeals. City's season will ultimately be judged in two places: on the pitch they control, and in a hearing room they do not. Winning seven from seven buys them breathing room in only one of those arenas.
Do you believe City's players can keep blocking out the charges saga all season? Let us know what you think in the comments.
