Pep Guardiola’s time at Manchester City has been nothing short of a resounding success, picking up 15 major honours in his spell so far at the club.
The Spaniard is known to be one of the greatest coaches in football, and his love of improving players can sometimes be seen in his post-match antics, where he appears to be providing feedback to his squad members, even if they have had a great game.
The Manchester City manager is coming off the back of his first season without silverware since his inaugural campaign, and hopes are that he and his team can bounce back and add to his growing collection.
However, ahead of the new season, Pep Guardiola has admitted that there is one thing he has an issue with regarding his players.
Pep Guardiola admits Man City players can get frustrated with team selection
Manager and player relationships can often fizzle out, something Guardiola will certainly be aware of given the length of his career so far.
During his time at Manchester City, there have not been too many falling-outs, but he has now stated there is one aspect he does not like about his squad.
Pep Guardiola told GQ Spain: “Look, the players, there’s only one problem with them, I’ll tell you clearly and you’ll understand: I have 23 players and I choose eleven every three days. 23 or 22… eleven.”
“The next eleven, whoa! They feel like I don’t love them, and it’s the opposite; I love them even more because I suffer for them, but those eleven say: ‘How come you didn’t choose me and chose someone else?’ And this is about the same old thing, about feeling loved or not loved.”
It shows how desperate the Man City players are to impress, an attitude they need to use to fuel them going into another busy season next time out.
Manchester City need a big squad due to fixture schedule
While Pep Guardiola may want a smaller squad, admitting, “I would love to have only eleven players throughout the year, just eleven,” with the amount of games that the Premier League club had to play last season, having more players is essential.
Additionally, with the arrival of the Club World Cup, players will have had a smaller recovery window from the intense schedule of a football season.
The more games that are played, the higher the likelihood of players being injured, and having the right players to fill in is vital to a trophy-winning side.
| Competition | Maximum Games |
|---|---|
| Premier League | 38 |
| FA Cup | 6 |
| Carabao Cup | 6 |
| Champions League | 17 |
| Total | 67 |
With the Club World Cup included, the Citizens featured in 61 games last campaign, just six fewer than the maximum total possible in the upcoming season.
Manchester City are one of the best teams in the world, and they are constantly tasked with competing in all four competitions, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see them play all 67 of the possible fixtures.
The fixture congestion has long been a problem in the football world, but with the current situation, Guardiola will have to accept he needs as big a squad as possible in order to compete on all fronts.