Pep Guardiola voices out on one problem in the club that is beyond his control 

Pep Guardiola voices out on one problem in the club that is beyond his control 

Pep Guardiola called his Manchester City players ‘Supermen’ for their mentality amid a hectic schedule, and has clarified his comments after the win at Bournemouth.

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND: Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, embraces Erling Haaland of Manchester City following the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium on February 24, 2024 in Bournemouth, England.

Pep Guardiola admits his squad is tired as the Etihad chief issued a blunt verdict on Man City’s hectic schedule

 

City once again struggled to find their rhythm in attack in the weekend win against a Bournemouth, a sixth game in 20 days, but defended well as a team to hold on for back-to-back clean sheets. After the game, Guardiola reignited his long-standing criticism of the fixture schedule and suggested there were underlying fitness issues in his squad that prevented them from playing at their best.

 

Expanding on the comments Guardiola did not deny there is a concern of burnout among his players, with Kevin De Bruyne the latest to suffer an injury setback and Kyle Walker rested after an intense period of games. Josko Gvardiol remains injured while others including John Stones and Erling Haaland are still not playing at full fitness.

 

“Of course we are tired but it is what it is,” the manager said in response to the prospect of a burnout in the squad. “We are tired but we recover for two days, eat and sleep good and be ready for Luton. We want to go through. I know it is difficult but it is what it is.

 

“I see my players. We play in the Champions League and all the teams have a long weekend because the schedule is there. We played against Brentford and Brentford is like going to the dentist without anesthetic. Do you know why we played against Brentford? Because we played the Club World Cup with two games in Saudi Arabia.

 

“Now comes United, Liverpool, and FA Cup or Brighton, and then Arsenal and Aston Villa. Welcome. Still we are there, one point behind. That is good. I didn’t know how my players would react after winning everything but oh my god, better than that is impossible.”

 

If the City squad are ‘Supermen’, defender Ruben Dias explained why there is such a strong mentality in the group – and it simply comes from a hunger to continue winning after their incredible achievements of recent seasons.

 

“I guess that better than having won is to keep winning,” he said. “We’re all young and not looking back yet because the more we accumulate the more we think forward and we’re able to think that we need to keep winning so it will be even better when we look back.

 

“It’s a difficult exercise because it’s very easy to get into a comfort zone but that’s the main reason why I love to be in this team. it’s not easy to find a group of players that has the capacity to keep the tunnel vision and hungry because it’s not easy. That’s one of our biggest strengths.”

 

Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji has admitted first walking into a dressing room full of superstars was a ‘special’ experience for him when he first joined the club.

 

The centre-back has been speaking to Schweizer Illustrierte about his career so far and his time at Manchester City playing alongside big names such as Erling Haaland.

 

The Switzerland defender joined Manchester City in a surprise €20m move from Borussia Dortmund in September 2022 and has proven to be one their smarter signings since.

 

He’s quickly established himself as a key player under Pep Guardiola, making 77 appearances to date playing comfortably as a centre-back, left-back and occasionally even a midfielder.

 

It’s been something of a shock rise for the 28-year-old, who few would have predicted would develop into the player he has during his time at Manchester City after following him at Borussia Dortmund.

 

Playing with the world class players in the squad at the Etihad has certainly helped on that front and Akanji is willing admit that himself, confessing that it was a special event for him walking into the dressing room the first time.