The Manchester City manager believes they are on a course of a terrible February schedule. Besides, Pep Guardiola thinks this month his player will overcome the obstacles even after having a tight program plan. If they defeat Everton at Goodison Park tonight, they can claim the top position of the Premier League from Liverpool on goal difference.
Besides challenging matches in the Premier League, Manchester City will also face Chelsea later this month in the EFL Cup final. But before that, they will face Maurizio Sarri’s squad this Sunday. Pep Guardiola’s men will also face Schalke in their Champions League run and will also appear in the FA Cup fifth-round tie.
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— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 5, 2019
While talking about the tight schedule this month, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said “When I was abroad before I came here, everyone talked about December and Boxing Day, these kind of things,” and added “After Boxing Day was finished I looked at the schedule and said ‘this is worse!’ and that’s true. If you are out of some competitions it is more comfortable but [if not] February is tougher.”
He said “I’m pretty sure the winner will be [decided in] the last fixture or the last two.” The manager said “At some point it is a problem, with all the games and the mental effort to be successful in all competitions, when you lose one game you can lose that competition,” and further added “In the Champions League we know that – a bad 30 minutes and you are out. That demands a lot of stress and sometimes you need a little bit of a break.”
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Pep Guardiola said “But at the same time, when you arrive in this month and in March, when the days are longer and you see the end of the season closer – the pitches are in better condition and you can take a coffee outside – and you are in four competitions you think, ‘wow, we can do something special’. That is a plus.” He then added “We are not right now in that position. This month is terrible. Every game is a final and you have to wait.”
The Manchester City manager then said “I trust my players. I always put this example: we were 3-0 down in a Champions League game at Anfield and the way we reacted, our personality to play was good.” He then also added “I have a feeling that when I put on pressure, they react good. They accept the challenge to show me again how good they are.”