Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has indicated that his team will not be in top shape when the Premier League begins in less than a month.
The Cityzens, who have claimed the last four English top-flight titles consecutively, aim to extend this record to five.
However, Guardiola believes his squad won’t be fully prepared at the season’s start, potentially giving their rivals an early advantage.
Manchester City’s summer was heavily packed with international football competitions.
Many of their players participated in the European Championships and the Copa America, and players like Julian Alvarez are still competing in the ongoing Olympics.
Consequently, the team hasn’t had a complete squad for their preseason, which has shown in their recent results.
City suffered a 4-3 defeat in their preseason opener against Celtic and a 3-2 loss to a Samuel Chukwueze-inspired AC Milan three days ago.
Looking ahead to their match against Barcelona tomorrow, Guardiola has cautioned that his squad will need time to reach their peak form for the upcoming campaign.
He also criticized football organizers such as the Premier League, UEFA, and FIFA for overcrowding the fixture calendar.
“We will arrive late but not [just] against Manchester United [in the Community Shield], against Chelsea and Ipswich too,” Guardiola told reporters, per Goal. “We will be late. It’s about trying not to drop many points, try to compete well. We don’t have players because they have to rest.
“If the big bosses and all the institutions like FIFA, UEFA and the Premier League don’t think about the players, then the managers have to think about them, otherwise they will die. It’s too much.
“That’s why three weeks or one month is necessary, but the competition is there and you have to adapt. There’s no solution; there will not be a solution because there is no intention to find a solution. The clubs have to travel to show our brand around the world, to let other continents and places see our players, and we have to adapt.
“We would like to have had proper preparation but it’s impossible because national teams deserve to play and every institution like FIFA and UEFA and local competitions want to defend their product and make games.
“We have a good squad when everybody comes back. We have three, four, five interesting [young] players just in case we need them. We will do what we have done in the previous seasons when we have had success having the same calendar as this year.”
Guardiola also recently addressed his future at Manchester City, dismissing any rumors of his desire to leave. He expressed his willingness to renew his contract, which expires in 2025.
