Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola did not spare the hints again as he lashed out at the FA for congested schedules that have affected players’ health.
Speaking after Manchester City edged out Chelsea by a lone goal to qualify for the FA Cup final, the 56-year-old blasted English domestic football authorities for tight schedules.
The treble-winning manager particularly bemoan FA’s scheduling of FA Cup matches on Saturdays instead of Sundays to allow at least a 60-hour preparation timeline for clubs involved in midweek action in European club competitions.
‘’It’s unacceptable. Because I’ve won I have the courage to tell you. For the health of the players, it’s not normal. I don’t understand how we survived today.
‘’Why play today and not tomorrow, when Coventry, Chelsea, and United didn’t play in the midweek?
‘’Why not have one more day for the health of the players? Tell me how you prepare for this final against Chelsea in the best moment of the season. How? It’s impossible. There’s no chance.
Manchester City are the most successful team in England in the past decade and have juggled between continental football engagements and domestic club competitions.
They have reached the last four of the FA Cup six consecutive times and have also advanced to the knockout of UEFA Champions League on all occasions.
In the past five seasons, the Manchester-based outfit have been forced to navigate through playing UEFA Champions League matches in mid-week and honoring FA Cup matches, and other domestic fixtures at the weekend, mostly on Saturdays.
Forcing the team to play two competitive fixtures in 48 hours has been a concerning development for Guardiola, who insists something has to be done to rectify it and safeguard players’ health.
It was a tight affair at Wembley as Manchester City locked horns with Chelsea in the cracker FA Cup semifinal.
It nearly ended on a barren note before Bernardo Silva scored late in the 84th minute to keep City’s hope of a double alive while ending Chelsea’s silverware hopes this season.
Guardiola turned attention away from the victory to berate the congested fixtures. His former assistant and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta joined in calling for a rejig of fixtures to accommodate clubs in UEFA club competitions.
Arsenal were also involved in a mid-week Champions League fixture on Wednesday before returning for domestic action in less than 48 hours.
