Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expresses his displeasure with the team's demanding February schedule, which includes a challenging two-legged Champions League playoff tie against Real Madrid. The packed schedule raises concerns about player fatigue and recovery time.
Pep Guardiola expressed his frustration with Manchester City 's demanding fixture schedule in February, which includes a challenging two-legged Champions League playoff tie against reigning champions Real Madrid . City's failure to secure automatic qualification for the tournament's last 16 means they face this formidable opponent to advance. The first leg will be held at the Etihad Stadium on February 11th, followed by a trip to the Bernabéu on February 19th.
Adding to the intensity, City also have a packed schedule in February, facing Arsenal in the Premier League, as well as Newcastle, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Leyton Orient in the FA Cup. This equates to seven games in 24 days. Guardiola, while acknowledging the nature of the Premier League schedule where every team plays each other, pointed out the added pressure faced by teams competing in Europe. He particularly highlighted the difficulty of playing against Real Madrid in the middle of a congested schedule, noting the quick turnaround between matches. Though he acknowledged the team's past success with this demanding schedule, having won the treble and quadruple, he expressed a desire for more rest days between matches, especially considering the physical demands of competing at the highest level. The manager, however, accepted that this challenging fixture list is a consequence of City's performance in the Champions League group stage, where they secured only three wins from eight matches, finishing 22nd out of 36 teams. He remarked that the team could have performed better and deserved a more favorable position in the tournament. Despite the frustration, Guardiola remained determined and expressed confidence in his team's ability to overcome these challenges.
Manchester City Pep Guardiola Real Madrid Champions League February Schedule Fixture List Player Fatigue
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