Steven Gerrard has defended his Aston Villa side ahead of their role in Sunday's Premier League final day - where they face Manchester City at the Etihad.
If City beat Gerrard's Villa, the Blues will be champions, but if Gerrard can lead his side to a point or victory, then his former club Liverpool will have the chance to leapfrog them on the final day and win the title themselves.
Much has been made of the Gerrard connection and the role he can play in a potential Liverpool title victory, but the current Villa boss hit back at claims he would focus on the title race rather than his own side.
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“It is disappointing when people mention integrity and aim it towards me or Aston Villa or any of my players,” Gerrard said, accepting that if Villa do their job, then it could help Liverpool at the same time.
“We’ll go out at the weekend and give it everything we’ve got to try and get points for Aston Villa and our supporters. If that inevitably helps Liverpool, fantastic, but my priority is to try and get points for Aston Villa.
“We’ve got three massive points to play for, we’ve got an opportunity to finish the season on a high. It would be nice if we can reward our supporters with something at the weekend.
“In terms of Liverpool, I totally understand and respect the external noise and the questions that have been coming my way for some time. They’re involved in a title race and I spent a lot of time there.”
Gerrard also praised the levels that City and Liverpool have set in recent years, with both challenging for the title once again.
“When I played there was a lot of talk about the top four and for a period that became a top six,” he explained.
“But I think it has become quite clear in the last two or three years with Jurgen and Pep’s consistency since Jose [Mourinho] left – he finished second at Manchester United just before he left – they have been the strongest teams for a long time now and there is a gap forming.
“In terms of my experience being back in the Premier League, they have been the two best sides by far we have faced. One tries to hurt you with positional play and possession and one tries to hurt you with speed and intensity. They are both extremely consistent and have got top managers.
“They have both recruited extremely well over a period of time and had a lot of time to work with the team so it is no surprise that they get the results that they do.”
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