PEP GUARDIOLA INSISTS he will not make excuses as he prepares his battered and bruised Manchester City side for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool.
Treble-chasing City face their chief title rivals in a Wembley showdown just three days after a draining and ill-tempered Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital.
The game is also the fourth of an intense 12-day spell in which they also played the first leg of their quarter-final tie against Atletico and participated in an exhilarating 2-2 draw with Liverpool in the Premier League.
Star playmaker Kevin De Bruyne and right-back Kyle Walker are major doubts having suffered foot and ankle injuries respectively in the fraught midweek encounter, while Phil Foden also required treatment for a head wound.
Yet while this may play into the hands of Liverpool, Guardiola is not complaining.
Final preparations! 🏃👊#ManCity | #FACup pic.twitter.com/KlXFEhNoaB
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 15, 2022
The City manager said: “Semi-finals of the FA Cup are always hard against this side, even with the top players fit and rested.
“I’ve learned as a manager when you arrive in the latter stages in all competitions you adapt to the schedule. If you want to complain (for a safety) net, you make a mistake. It is what it is.
“We have fought every season like this and we go through, and we are going to perform well.
“I said to the players I don’t want any excuses.”
City have at least attempted to lessen the impact of travel by flying straight to London from Madrid, rather than return to Manchester between the games.
They trained on Friday at The Den, home of Millwall, and Guardiola has stressed the importance of rest.
Speaking at a press conference at the Championship club’s ground, Guardiola said: “We thought if we went back to Manchester and trained there after coming back, it would be exhausting to travel from Manchester to London.
“We want to have the legs as fresh as possible with the incredible confidence I have.
“It is not ideal, we know that, but I tell the players to have good massages, good food and sleep a lot, as many hours as possible. At 3.30pm we will be there and try to win the game.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, whose side are chasing a quadruple, has voiced his frustration with the scheduling of some kick-off times by broadcasters amid his side’s similarly taxing programme.
Guardiola agrees with the German but thinks complaining will probably be futile.
A delightful dink on the break from @aguerosergiokun in the #FACup semi-final in 2017! ✨#ManCity pic.twitter.com/XzGBCVst0w
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 15, 2022
The Spaniard said: “I would prefer what Jurgen said – I completely agree with him – but I am not going to say a word because it is not going to change. Why say something that is not going to change? It makes no sense.
“That is why when the broadcasters have a meeting I will not be there. I don’t waste the time. I am busy preparing my team for something else, for sure.”
Guardiola accepts that fixture congestion is one of the prices to be paid for having a successful season.
He said: “It happens for one reason, because we are fighting for the titles. If we are not fighting for the titles you have long weeks. I prefer to have it our way.
“It means over 10 or 11 months we have been fighting in all the competitions. That is good news. I say that with a big smile, so I’m not grumpy. I am so happy to live that.”
Fully deserved win for the Pool. Badly needed and should give them the confidence going into the Moscow game on Tuesday.
“Mignolet hopelessly flapped at the subsequent corner”??? He got nowhere near flapping at it as he was being clearly hauled back by Okazaki and it was as clear a free-out, terrible description of what was really happening.
@Hakaman: balanced out tbf with the offside
Great win after the midweek defeat. …. much needed aswell. Well done pool
But but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but Y.N.W.A just when they thought we were out they pulled us back in.. The Mancs looking dicey, just in time. We will wollop them !
@Mrs. Nugent: Do not make me laugh. You’re the ones looking dicey from a defensive aspect.
@Conor Cahill: but your team haven’t played a decent team yet this season
@Jamie: and look what happened when you did , at least we are winning games that’s your first win in September and it’s nearly October
@Hoof Hearted: yea we bet Arsenal 4-0 wasn’t it?As for city what can say they’re the top club in England with the best coach in the world
@Jamie: why don’t you support city if you feel so strong about them
@Hoof Hearted: that is like something a 7 year old would say
@Jack: Thats hoof/johnny bla bla for u
@Jack: he is 7
@Jack: I know he’s unreal isn’t he
@Hoof Hearted: you dim witted person !
@Mrs. Nugent: tell me ,did Couts kiss the badge after scoring
@Tensing Norgay: a quick glance thru your twitter shows you support Manchester United did De Gea kiss the United badge when he was forced to stay at United?and did Ronaldo do the same when he wasn’t let leave United for another year to go to Madrid
@Tensing Norgay: or did Tevez kiss the city crest when he left United
@Jamie: Boom !
@Tensing Norgay: or has Rooney ever kissed the United crest even though Everton is his boyhood club?
@Jamie: Who ? pricess Fiona ?
@Mrs. Nugent: does she drive a VW beetle?
@Jamie: obsessed
Jamie would you ever get real man.Ragmen is right we all sneered and jeered him for putting in a soccer transfer request. This guy is only here today because the board of Liverpool FC decided not to grant his transfer. And don’t start me on Luis Suarez who manufactured his move by creating an unspeakable act against a fellow player. I get you’re trying to hit on the Manchester guys but save the untrue stuff for your backyard when you need to impress your buddies
@Sherman Berstein: maybe snowflakes like you did but if you were South American would you rather play in damp cold England or go to sunny Spain and play for the best team in the world?
@Jamie: WOW man you do really have the mental age of a first grader. Good luck with that buddy
@Jamie: fighting with your own fans now what a loser
@Sherman Berstein: ah yea go for personal insults when you have no come back
@Sherman Berstein: Take no notice Sherman, he’s just the resident wally. Just laugh at him like the rest of us..
@Harry Corry: Christ Harry he really is mentally challenged. I thought it was just an act
@Sherman Berstein: and
@Sherman Berstein: answer my question snowflake
@Sherman Berstein: Answers my question snowflake
@Jamie: poor Alan how does it make you feel when people ignore you
@Johnny Bravo: when people ignore me it shows they’re afraid to answer the question.don’t worry ill keep asking the snowflake
@Jamie: You’re a scary little boy how old are you
@Buddy Bud: I’m 13 and a half actually
Summed up our defence. Lovren a player who needs confidence puts an easy pass straight out of play after one minute. Good win though YNWA
Big change from during the week when they put out an understrength team for that Mickey Mouse cup
@Jamie: shut up
@Jamie: obsessed.
We can score more the you plan . Will get found out by the bigger teams
@powerfix: are you saying a team that won the PL two seasons ago isn’t a big team? The same can be said for your team who’ve only played mediocre teams so far this season
@powerfix: liverpool have only lost 2 of the last 20 against top 6 sides..
@Jack: surely that deserves a trophy
@Scott Crossfield: Scott they got one last year it was the finishing above Utd cup !
@powerfix: united finished last year with three trophies and champions league qualification. Liverpool finished with a spot in the champions league qualifiers…..which sounds like the better season?
@powerfix: haha – shine that trophy up and put in the cabinet
@Jamie: look at the table ……WAAAAAAAHHH
@powerfix: Must kill you to see your once noisy neighbours on top of the table #manchesterisblue
@Jamie: not really as my girlfriend is a city supporter so I win either way. Tara Chuck !
@powerfix: lol you have a girlfriend lol
@Scott Crossfield: brilliant!
@Kevin O Sullivan: how sad do you have to be to coint the charity shield as a cup. It’s a charity game , doesn’t count, end of….
@powerfix: They will win that cup again this year girlygirl x
@powerfix: Girlfriend ???? Now since when does sleeping with your labrador count as having a girlfriend girlygirl xx
Super result, couldn’t afford to drop points today. Still shite at the back again I wish Klopp was a defender when he was a player, oh wait!!
This should be interesting as he was classed as a snake by most here
@Ragman: Ye by the likes of you and other United supporters most Liverpool supporters felt no ill feelings towards him just like when Suarez went, every player wants to play for the best teams in the world but at least they didn’t do what Madrid did with De Gea and dropped interest in him at the last minute
Ref bottled it Mingolet should have got a red ! He took vardy out so you can’t give a pen and not a red too
@Mark Nugent: change of rule in the premier league actually, came into effect last year. Situations like that have now changed to penalty and yellow card. Google it.
Mignolet is brutal. Danny Ward must get a run. Had a good game in the cup and caught everything.