Pep Guardiola unleashes on the ridiculous schedule his team had to overcome to beat Chelsea

The fact that Manchester City’s clash with Chelsea was scheduled for a Saturday defies logic. As Pep Guardiola pointed out, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Coventry City have had a week to prepare for this weekend’s FA Cup semi-finals. Manchester City, on the other hand, had to face Real Madrid on Wednesday before yesterday’s clash with Chelsea. A common sense approach would’ve seen Manchester City face Chelsea today rather than yesterday. But it wasn’t to be as it became another obstacle for the FA Cup holders to overcome. The fact that they did just that speaks volumes of the mentality of Pep Guardiola’s squad.

Although a congested fixture list is a by-product of City’s progression to the latter stages of so many competitions, at some point, there will be a breaking point for the players. With competitions such as the UEFA Champions League, the World Cup and Club World Cup expanding the workload is ever increasing on the players. If the domestic calendar doesn’t cater for the ever expanding schedule, the game itself will suffer as a result. That is something no fan of the game wants to see. But the heavy workload is becoming common as the broadcasters and governing bodies of the game dictate the busy schedule all players now face.

Pep Guardiola was right to point out the absurd fixture his team has had to overcome. While his plea is likely to fall on deaf ears, it is an issue that needed to be raised. Whether or not Guardiola’s message is acted upon is a different story entirely.