Pep Guardiola has pop at the Premier League over refusal to delay Man City’s start to season as Club World Cup awaits

Pep Guardiola has taken another swipe at the Premier League by claiming that Manchester City‘s requests to delay their start to next season have been rejected.

City and Chelsea‘s preparations for 2025-26 will be disrupted by the month-long summer Club World Cup in the United States.

Its final comes just four weeks before the season begins. In fact, City could have as little as seven days to prepare for their opening game after a mandated three-week summer break.

‘The Premier League has not allowed us to postpone the first two games for our recovery — thank you so much,’ Guardiola said sarcastically. The Spaniard is concerned that the lack of a proper pre-season will impact the health of City’s squad.

‘The Premier League say yes to us? No, absolutely not,’ he added, although it is understood no formal request was made. ‘They don’t postpone these games, so that will be the moment of… oh, what do we do? I don’t have an answer because I’ve not been there before.’

City will take part in the Club World Cup this summer and had asked to postpone their first two matches of next term

Kevin De Bruyne, who has spoken out on the impact of the competition, has pulled out of four Belgium internationals

City’s Kevin De Bruyne — who has been outspoken about the impact of the Club World Cup — has pulled out of four Belgium internationals. He will return soon from a pelvis injury, but wants to miss November’s Nations League games to ‘take care of his body,’ Belgium boss Domenico Tedesco said.

Guardiola believes the 33-year-old is struggling with niggling problems after hamstring surgery and five months out last year.

‘After long injuries your body becomes unbalanced,’ he said. ‘It’s like having the same car — it is not always the same as when you bought it.’