COMMENT: It isn't money. It isn't even the players. If you want to know how Manchester City have dominated the English game this past decade just consider the show of passion and loyalty offered by Pep Guardiola this week...
This was rare. Even for English football - especially today's English football. But this is what sets Guardiola apart. Emotion. Drive. And absolute sheer loyalty to those he works with and for.
In the wake of those 115 charges laid by the Premier League, Guardiola came out fighting. For the club. For those working inside the club. And for everything they'd achieved these past ten years. In an industry which has become so transient. So detached. Particularly at the level Guardiola operates. The Catalan's defense of City was stunning.
There's no other word for it. The critics. The pundits. They were shook. They didn't how to take it. 'You shouldn't take it so personally,' some said. 'You're sounding paranoid,' others claimed. But this is personal. Loyalty. Community. Achievement. It's all personal. It all matters. And this presser made it clear why City have remained consistent as rivals have gone from boom to bust and back again.
Driven by it's figurehead, there's a culture of community inside City. Supported by Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain. And above them Khaldoon al-Mubarak and Sheikh Mansour. This lot have been together for seven years. And never has a critical word amongst them ever made it's way to the public. When rival Premier League clubs demand punishment. When the press speculate about City being thrown out of the Football League. For Guardiola, they're not attacking a grey institution. They're not throwing spite and insult at bricks and mortar. These hounds are attacking his friends. Individuals. And himself. Football is more to him than a pay cheque and a ridiculous watch. Indeed, City means more to him than that. Not only from his time with the club, but also before it.
"Why should I not trust my people? Why should I trust the CEOs or the owners of the 19 clubs? No, I trust my people," he declared.
"It's the same articles, the same accusations, the same everything. We have to be out of the Champions League, now we have to go to League Two or maybe the Conference."
As he says, after UEFA's failed attempts, now it's the Premier League's turn. But despite the screaming headlines, nothing's been proven. Instead, it's hysterics. It's all rush to judgment. To condemn. To demand punishment. Stepping back and allowing the case to run it's course. To allow the cards fall where they may. Well, that's been thrown out the window.
Guardiola again, "What has happened this week is the same as what happened with UEFA. With UEFA we were condemned.
"We are lucky we live in a marvellous country where we have a society where everyone is innocent until proven guilty. We didn't have this opportunity. We are already sentenced and 'tough'.
"I'm fully convinced that we will be innocent, and then what will happen next? Will it stop now?"
'Grubby'. When it comes to City. When it comes these accusations. They love using that word. But take a step back. Take a look at this club. It's people. It's stadium. It's facilities. Everything that has been built these past 10 years. Does anything come close to 'grubby'? Of course not. To associate such a word with Guardiola's City is ridiculous.
Indeed, at his next presser, Guardiola made a point of issuing a public apology to Steven Gerrard. His mention of the former Liverpool captain's infamous slip against Chelsea something he regretted. That the outrage in the press only came after this apology said it all.
It had barely been covered in the reporting of Guardiola's original comments. But the Catalan knew what he'd done. He felt it deeply. An incident that will stay with Gerrard for the rest of his life. That in some way, will define his career. The quotes were brushed aside by the majority. But not by Guardiola. The same deep emotion regarding the accusations made against his friends, he felt after reflecting on his words about Gerrard and Liverpool. He was "ashamed" and football-man to football-man, offered an apology to the Reds icon at his next public appearance. Again, Guardiola just feels things differently.
Did that passion drive City to victory at Arsenal on Wednesday night? Perhaps. But what you can say is the fighting spirit the players showed was everything their manager displayed in the lead-up.
The win in London returned City to the top of the table. And it was achieved with the lowest possession percentage by a Guardiola team. Not since 2012 had City been dominated as they were at the Emirates.
But yet even without the ball, Guardiola and his players - treading new ground - found a way to win. Passion. Loyalty. It can still take you a long way in this game.
