Guardiola delivers Haaland fitness update as the City boss declares he’s ‘not going to fight’ schedule
Pep Guardiola has declared he is no longer “going to fight” the hectic fixture schedule with Manchester City chasing a possible Treble.
The Citizens have come from behind Arsenal this season to take control of the Premier League title race, while they are in the FA Cup final and semi-finals of the Champions League.
City have five games in a fortnight ahead of the FA Cup final against Manchester United in early June and there are concerns that their players will burn out.
But Guardiola is embracing the amount of matches, he told a pre-match press conference on Friday: “We see. We have five days now after just four days. We will see the team tomorrow, speak with the physios and staff and decide.
“A lot of games to choose, not to choose maybe people don’t believe me but I rely on all of them a lot but there are players inc certain moments that are so important to us.
“People ask me before Leeds they are tired and the game after was so demanding, when you play so many competitions it’s normal. When you play just one it’s different but now it is what it is.
“Definitely but not just now all the season. They want to play in September, they don’t like me when they don’t play. We are sure going to play until June 3, you have to deserve to win a game to play for one more week. We have potential six games, potential seven, it’s not too much, go for it!”
On Erling Haaland’s condition, Guardiola added: “He has a really intense game in Madrid, he could not have done if tired. I would say yeah, he can go a while, I think it’s fine.”
On how important his team selections are, Guardiola continued: “Every player is ready. Every player is ready to play and give his own contribution.
“I thought a lot about the last minutes to do a substitute but I decide for the fact that the players on the bench are so dynamic in their movements, Phil, Julian and even Riyad, but in that moment we didn’t need that.
“To not increase our rhythm to make our other players on the pitch raise their movements to a high level. Everyone will be important with so many games.”
When asked if he is annoyed at the schedule, Guardiola replied: “I can’t understand it but I’m not going to fight it anymore.
“I don’t understand it but we have to adapt. The schedules, it is what it is. It’s not frustrating it is what it is, how many times can I comment on that?”
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