On July 29, Manchester City is preparing for their pre-season matches in the United States, set to face Barcelona on Wednesday at 7 PM. Ahead of the game, Pep Guardiola stated that his team is not yet ready to defend their Premier League title.
Guardiola said it was impossible for Manchester City to be fully prepared for their title defense in the new season and predicted they would be ready by the start of the campaign. With the Euros having just concluded, Guardiola allowed his England internationals Phil Foden, John Stones, Kyle Walker, and Rodri to decide when to return to training. Many players will choose to come back a few days before the August 10 Community Shield Manchester derby, but if they are still exhausted, Guardiola’s suggestion would extend their return by one week.
Regarding the congested schedule, Guardiola said, “If FIFA, UEFA, and the Premier League do not consider the players’ physical condition, then the coaches must, otherwise they risk injury, which is too much. That’s why three weeks or a month of recovery time is needed, but the competition is there, and you have to adapt.”
“When everyone returns, we have an excellent team. We have 3-5 young players available if needed. We will achieve success as we did in previous seasons, under the same fixture schedule this year.”
Guardiola: Man City Not Ready to Defend Premier League Title, May Advise Euro Players to Delay Return. Author：Sports UEFA.Please indicate the source when reproduced：https://www.sportsuefa.com/football-world/guardiola-man-city-not-ready-to-defend-premier-league-title-may-advise-euro-players-to-delay-return.html
