Pep Guardiola will not entertain talk of a Manchester City treble until after they have won both the Premier League and the FA Cup, having been bemused by the suggestion they are "just 11 games" away.
City are through the semi-finals of both the FA Cup, playing Sheffield United on Saturday, and the Champions League, having eliminated Bayern Munich in the last eight this week.
As the league champions close on Arsenal at the top of the table, too, there is the potential for City to emulate rivals Manchester United's feat of 1999.
But Guardiola's side face a gruelling schedule, with the manager already complaining of fatigue following the Bayern game even before reaching a two-legged semi against Real Madrid.
For that reason, he sought to shut down the topic of the treble ahead of travelling to Wembley this weekend.
"I'm so happy you spent 10 questions before the first question about the treble," Guardiola said eight minutes into Friday's media briefing. "It was so nice.
"We will start to talk about the treble when we've won the Premier League and after we've won the FA Cup, before the final of the Champions League.
"Look how far away it is to start to talk about that."
The reporter asking the question replied: "But it's just 11 games, it's not long."
To that, a smirking Guardiola countered: "Oh, 'just', yes, 'just' 11 games. We are far away.
"I've said many times: how many times in this amazing country are trebles done? How many years? How many times? It's one. Our neighbours did it [once] in how many centuries?"
Asked if he was excited, Guardiola responded: "About the treble? Not at all."
City play Arsenal next in the Premier League on Wednesday, but their manager insisted he would not pick his team for Saturday with that game in mind.
Instead, he would be reflecting on the energy that was used in Munich, where Nathan Ake succumbed to an injury that will keep him out of this tie.
Even then, Guardiola is wary of a repeat of previous seasons, having exited the FA Cup at the semi-final stage in three straight years. In the past two, those defeats followed immediately after coming through a Champions League quarter-final.
"For Arsenal, we have four days; we have one more day than we have now," he said. "I would have loved to have played on Sunday, but I understand. United played yesterday, so that's why they have to play on Sunday.
"In the past, when I rotated the team, it was not because the next game was the FA Cup semi-final; it was just for the fatigue we had, with Atletico Madrid last season or Dortmund two seasons ago.
"It was away, after a demanding, demanding game, and that was the reason why. I have to evaluate with my backroom staff who is the best."
Chelsea players must set ego aside or 'situation will hardly change', Silva warns
The departing Thiago Silva warned Chelsea's players to set their egos aside, or their "situation will hardly change" next season.
Silva, who will return to hometown club Fluminense in the close season, is gearing up for his final appearance for the Blues after four years at Stamford Bridge, where they host Bournemouth on the final day of the 2023-24 campaign.
A draw would be enough for sixth-place Chelsea to secure a return to European football next season, while they could still overtake Tottenham in fifth with a win and Spurs losing to bottom side Sheffield United.
But despite a positive end to the campaign, during which they have won four successive games and lost just one of their last 14, Mauricio Pochettino's side are a whopping 28 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.
Silva believes the club deserves better, having spent over £400 million on no fewer than 13 players over the past year, and has urged the squad to prioritise teamwork over their personal ambitions next term.
"I hope [the players] understand that everything they did to get to Chelsea has to be worth it," he told Sky Sports. "Because the season we're having is not worthy of Chelsea. I think they need to do more next year.
"These boys need to be aware that Chelsea has to fight for [for trophies] in the top positions. If we take a little of our ego and put it in favour of the team, I think it will work. If we don't do that, the situation will hardly change, unfortunately."
'Age is not an issue', insists energised Casemiro
Casemiro insists "age is not an issue" and the midfielder is feeling optimistic about the future at Manchester United.
The Brazil international and his team-mates have endured a frustrating season at Old Trafford, with the club in danger of suffering their lowest Premier League finish in eighth place.
Casemiro enjoyed a successful first campaign with the Red Devils, who he helped to a third-place finish and victory in the Carabao Cup.
However, injuries have prevented the 32-year-old from building on that momentum this term, with critics suggesting his age is preventing him from coping with the physical demands of the English top flight.
But the former Real Madrid midfielder rubbished those suggestions, highlighting notable examples of players shining in their mid to late 30s.
"I feel very well, very well," he told Sky Sports. "I feel healthy, with energy and the same mentality I always had.
"I guess people end up talking about the age factor, but it's been proven. Recently, our friend Thiago Silva - at the age of 39, came here and showed that, yes, you can play. The previous Ballon d'Or winners were over 34.
"At Manchester City, there's Kevin De Bruyne. (Mo) Salah at Liverpool. I think age is not an issue, it is not a factor in this, but analysing one's game and knowing about everything that is happening around the game.
"These are people who analyse football well, who see what's happening, who know what's happening, and not analyse the age.
"But I'm well, I'm happy. As I usually say, Manchester United gave me what I wanted - this joy of being able to enjoy the game, enjoy the Premier League. So, I'm happy to be here."
United conclude their Premier League season away to Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, before facing rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 25.
Casemiro believes the vast number of injuries have played a crucial factor in the Red Devils' struggles this term.
"It's been a season of a lot of sacrifices for all of us, with the injuries and players adapting," he added. "So, it's been very hard for us.
"The manager came to ask me [to play at centre-half], and I told him I'm always available. That's the way I am; trying to help, committing to the team and to the coaching staff. So, when he asked me, I didn’t even hesitate.
"I think we had over 60 or 70 injuries. I've never seen this in my life.
"It is hard to think about winning a Premier League when you have so many injuries to important players, players that you think will be able to play throughout the season, and you can't count on them."
Arsenal 'can't get too emotional' ahead of final day, Odegaard insists
Martin Odegaard has urged Arsenal not to become "too emotional" ahead of their showdown with Everton on the final day of the Premier League season.
The title race is going right down to the wire with the second-place Gunners, who are two points behind leaders Manchester City but boast a superior goal difference, needing a victory, while hoping Pep Guardiola's side fail to beat West Ham at the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal had hoped for a helping hand from rivals Tottenham when they welcomed City on Tuesday, but Erling Haaland's brace put the Citizens on the brink of a record-breaking fourth straight Premier League crown.
Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta's side are still in with a chance of claiming their first title in 20 years, and Odegaard insists he and his team-mates are focused on taking care of their own result at the Emirates.
"Obviously, you look at the results, and we were hoping," he told TNT Sports when asked about Tottenham's clash with City. "We spoke about it the day after, and we have to focus on ourselves, we can't get too emotional about it.
"We have one more game, at home. It's the last game of the season and our goal and our task is clear, we have to win that.
"We'll see what happens. That's our mindset now; win that last game, give the fans a good last game and we'll see. It's out of our control and, as I said, we just focus on our game."
It is the second season running that Arsenal are running City close; the Gunners eventually falling away having led the Premier League table for the majority of the campaign.
However, they have managed to stay with their title rivals this time around, and Odegaard is delighted by the strides the squad has made in the space of 12 months.
"I would say amazing," the skipper said when assessing the Gunners' season. "We've taken good steps and I feel like we're a much better team compared to last season.
"We've had some really good games, some good results, and we are now there until the last day, to push for it."
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