Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed frustration with the accumulation of fixtures. Although he's had arguably the finest domestic season of his career by winning the Treble, the Spaniard is hungry for more trophies. However, the former Barcelona manager is getting a lot of obstacles in his path.
Just after the first Premier League game of the season against Burnley, Manchester City announced that Kevin de Bruyne is set to be out for months due to an injury. Guardiola usually lets this kind of news slide as he is focused on the upcoming games. However, the Spaniard seemed to have had enough and let it all out on the microphone.
Guardiola said, “It sucks. He's an important player to us, and I think he'll need surgery. We'll lose him for months. He is a very special player with a distinct talent and connections with [Erling] Haaland, but it is what it is. In my first pre-season, I had 25 days to prepare for the first official match against Skonto Riga to qualify for the Champions League, which we eventually won. Now, they give you four or five days, and then look how many ACLs.”
“They make you go to Asia, to the United States, really tough matches, derbies, big games, and people fall, and they will keep falling and falling because the show must go on. If Courtois isn't there, then someone else will be, right? And if Militao isn't there, someone else will be, and if Kevin isn't there, someone else will be. This is a lost battle unless the players stand up for themselves and say, ‘We aren't playing.' It's a lost battle, nothing UEFA or FIFA will do.”
Regardless of what you think of Guardiola, he's not wrong about the accumulation of matches resulting in injuries. This opinion has already been given by Manchester United star Marcus Rashford, who demanded more time off between games.
Alongside Manchester City's De Bruyne, there are many other players out with long-term injuries. Newly-signed Manchester United forward Rasmus Hojlund came to Old Trafford after getting a knock during Atalanta's pre-season tour. Arsenal's new signing Jurien Timber is also out for most of this season after tearing his ACL during the opening Premier League game against Nottingham Forest. Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao are heavy casualties for Real Madrid, who could be out for the entire season.
Follow Us
Subscribe
