The manager of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola is not happy that the European football governing body, UEFA, and the world football governing body, FIFA, are choking players with a lot of games within short intervals.
The Spanish tactician argued that footballers hardly have time to rest and that could affect them physically and mentally. Hence, he has been trying to reduce the impact of playing too many games on his players by rotating his squad.
Recall that since the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the flow of football in mid-March last year, footballers have been condemned to playing more games within a short period to balance the football calendar.
Players are now condemned to play World Cup qualifiers, continental competitions, leagues, and other domestic competitions all within short intervals.
Hence, Pep Guardiola believes that one of the things that have been helping Manchester City to be successful this season is the ability to use almost different sets of players for every game.
He said though his players don’t like the idea of not playing in every game, the system helps them to stay fresh and ready for every challenge. According to Pep Guardiola, his ability to rotate players is always praised if the club wins games but criticized if the club loses a game.
Guardiola’s ability to effectively rotate players has helped the club to top the Premier League table this season. Besides that, the club is on the verge of winning the EFL Cup and the FA Cup.
More so, Manchester City will face Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final round on Tuesday, April 6, and Pep Guardiola has proposed that the club would utilize the same system of rotating players in the game and subsequent games.
“They are human beings, they are not machines,” Guardiola said ahead of Manchester City UEFA Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund scheduled to take place at the Etihad stadium at 20:00.
“I know the players some of them are upset all the time because they want to play every day but this is not possible.
“To compete in all competitions in this year without spectators, in the shortest competition ever, (if) you don’t rotate you don’t compete in all competitions and you will not be in the position we are in now.
“Of course they could play, they have an incredible mentality but they need rest. UEFA and FIFA killed the players because it’s too much. We haven’t had one midweek off since we started, not even one.
“There is no player who can sustain (this), not just physically but mentally to be ready every day to compete against opponents to win the game. It’s impossible.
“I rotate I’m a genius, ‘well-done Pep’ but when we lose and I rotate people say ‘why rotate? You have to play the players like normal’. But it’s unsustainable.
“The next game we are going to play fresh legs and against Leeds [April 10], more than ever, fresh legs.”
"I rotate because it is not possible to play every day – to win all competitions in this year without spectators when we start later and finish earlier, you cannot be there where we are if you don't rotate." 💬
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 4, 2021
🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5rehttps://t.co/PyWLczTtgS
