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Pep Guardiola was having none of it when he was asked about the schedule after seeing Manchester City get their Champions League campaign up and running on Thursday night.
Asked initially what he planned to do in the short turnaround between facing Napoli and Arsenal, he joked he would take the squad hiking. Pressed on whether he had spoken to the Premier League or UEFA about the schedule, Guardiola gave the idea short shrift.
Privately, City weren't happy with the lack of preparation time for one of their toughest games of the season, but publicly they wanted to avoid excuses. Before the start of the week, this was seen as a litmus test for the Blues, and they didn't want to lose focus by worrying about things outside their control.
In the end, a week that could have derailed their season by the end of September has instead changed perceptions about what might be possible this season. Wins against Manchester United and Napoli and a draw at Arsenal that showed plenty of character and fight have to be seen as positives.
City might not win the Premier League or the Champions League this year, but the feeling now is that they can at least challenge for those prizes rather than face another uphill battle to salvage the season.
There is certainly a contrast to last term. Then, City collapsed at the Emirates. Guardiola labelled the final 20 minutes "disastrous" as his team fell apart to lose 5-1. On Sunday, they showed immense spirit to almost hold on to a win that would have been out of keeping with what has gone before for them.
Guardiola himself admitted he was surprised at how well his team had defended against Arsenal's incessant pressure. The Gunners' quality of play and their own tiredness after a demanding week forced them back.
As happy as the Catalan was with the results this week, he was equally pleased by the resilience and resolve his team showed and the fact that they looked like a team as well, regaining something he felt was lost last season.
"I said many times about the body language, how we celebrate, how we communicate, how we make an effort for each other," said Guardiola.
"Last season we lost it a lot and this season I said I don't give a **** about the result, I want to see the spirit back in the training sessions, enjoying.
"After that is the tactics. You have to recover and this week we recovered. From there we will learn the press, the tactics, our way we feel more comfortable to play and make ourselves and our people proud."
The prolonged applause in front of the away end at the Emirates suggested that connection was back. Guardiola shed a tear as he clapped the fans, later putting it down to finding his daughter in the sea of faces, but you feel there might have been a pride in there for his team as well.
Erling Haaland then took his shirt off and climbed into the away end to give it to a fan. These were scenes that showed that harmony was back. A week that looked like it would be vital for City had gone as well as could have been hoped for, and it might lay the platform for a more successful season.
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