Pep Guardiola and other managers at top clubs have no right to complain about the packed schedule, according to It’s All Kicking Off co-host Ian Ladyman.
After watching his Manchester City side edge past Chelsea 1-0 in their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday, Guardiola launched an astonishing rant during an interview with the BBC, claiming the broadcaster had put his players’ welfare at risk by making them play just three days after their Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid.
The Spaniard was furious with the quick turnaround, and has even threatened to refuse ‘extra’ requests from broadcasters unless things changed after his team delivered a tired performance at the national stadium.
But Ladyman has little sympathy for Guardiola, and believes big clubs like City are only harming themselves by agreeing to play so many matches every year.
‘City are due to play about 59 games this season, Liverpool played 62 games in that 1976-77 season when they almost won the Treble and that was only one substitute,’ Ladyman said on Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off podcast.
Pep Guardiola was furious that his side had to play an FA Cup semi-final just three days after facing Real Madrid
His City players produced a tired display before eventually beating Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley
Mail Sport’s Ian Ladyman feels Guardiola and other top managers have no reason to complain about the schedule
‘Times change, it’s not always appropriate to make the comparison, but I think it’s vaguely relevant there. But what is equally relevant is that City are just being asked to play Wednesday-Saturday. That’s just like a normal week.
‘In fact they played 5 o’clock Saturday. Often in the Premier League they’re asked to play lunchtime Saturday or at least 3 o’clock. It’s not the BBC‘s fault that the Madrid game went to extra time. They couldn’t foresee that.
‘Guardiola thinks they should have been allowed to play on Sunday and the Manchester United-Coventry game should have been on the Saturday.
‘Well, there’s a couple of things to say there first of all. Chelsea have a Premier League game next Tuesday, City don’t play their Premier League game away at Brighton until Thursday. Move the City game to Sunday, Chelsea have only got two days rest before they play their next league game. That’s the schedule. That’s what it is, you can’t change it.
‘And to talk about player welfare is disingenuous because if clubs cared about player welfare they’d be asking themselves “why are we agreeing to an expanded Champions League next season in which there will be more games?
‘Why did we agree to go to Saudi Arabia at Christmas to play in the Club World Cup? Why are we going to play in the expanded Club World Cup in the summer of 2025? Why are we agreeing to all of these things?”
Ladyman pointed out how City were only too happy to travel to Saudi Arabia to play extra games and win the Club World Cup in December
‘That’s before you talk about pre-season tours to Australia and China and America and all the over places that the big Premier League clubs go to.’
It was announced last week that the FA Cup will now be scrapping replays from the first round onwards from next season, and Ladyman feels Guardiola moaning about the schedule is just another example of big clubs only wanting to play matches that they feel are worth their time.
‘Every other big club in the country, this is not a City thing, all the other big managers moan about fixtures,’ Ladyman continued. ‘Why are they putting their names to these schedules if they care that much?
‘I’m afraid, I’ve said it before, big managers don’t care about playing too many games. They want to play the games that they want to play. The little ones, FA Cup replays etc, again they are just using it as a weapon to beat down the conditions of our game.’
Ladyman’s podcast co-host Chris Sutton was also left bemused by Guardiola’s rant, claiming the City manager could have rotated his squad more on Saturday if he had genuine concerns about the condition of his players.
He also insisted City should embrace having so many games at the business end of the season as it shows they are right where they want to be in the hunt for trophies.
Chris Sutton also had little sympathy for City at the weekend, insisting Guardiola could have rotated his squad more if he was that concerned about player welfare
‘With regards to Pep and fatigue, as a professional player who’s played, this is where you want to be at this stage of the season, involved in all competitions,’ Sutton added.
‘With regards to TV scheduling, clubs are happy to take the millions of pounds and spend it on transfers, that aids them to build a club.
‘But I looked at the Manchester City bench at the weekend and just listen to this bench and then make your own mind up. Ederson, Dias, Gomez, Gvardiol, Lewis, Kovacic, Doku, Nunes – a fair few quid from Wolves – and Oscar Bobb.
‘That’s not a disaster, is it? And then you can have five substitutions as well on top of that. What is he moaning about?’
