Pep Guardiola has made it apparent that he is unhappy with Manchester City’s post-World Cup timetable.
In a friendly match on Saturday, City trounced Girona 2-0, with goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland. Along with Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan, the pair were two of the four outfield players from City’s first squad regulars to start the game.
The rest of the team was made up of academy players, with the exception of back-up left-back Sergio Gomez and backup goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, who both started the game.
Guardiola stated he did not yet have sufficient players to prepare for the holiday fixture list before City’s match against Liverpool in the EFL Cup’s round of 16 on Thursday, followed by matches against Leeds United and Everton in the Premier League on December 28 and 31, respectively.
“We have four players – five players,” Guardiola told Manchester City’s official media channel.
“We have to see how they are coming back [from the World Cup]. We don’t have players. The big brains of football made this schedule so we are going to play this game.”
Laporte and Rodri, who were eliminated with Spain in the round of 16, will rejoin the team next week, along with England internationals Kyle Walker, Phil Foden, John Stones, and Kalvin Phillips; the trio of Portugal’s Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, and Bernardo Silva; and Netherlands defender Nathan Ake.
“Some players coming back now, in the next few days, step by step we have the people here,” Guardiola added.
“People are coming back soon. After that the English players and Portuguese – they’re coming back.”
