As City prepares for a strong confrontation against Leicester City on Sunday in the third round of the Premier League, Guardiola is missing a number of his key players, such as Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus injured, while Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zincchenko are not yet fit.
Emeric Laporte and Ilkai Gundogan, who had earlier contracted the Corona virus, are also absent.
“This is the reality. Not only Manchester City, but all the clubs and countries. Nobody cares about the players. Everyone, the English Premier League, UEFA, everyone defends his work and his position,” Guardiola said at a press conference.
“The players went through a two-week pre-season and now they have to play a match every 3 days for 11 months. Nothing will change by saying the opposite,” the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach continued.
“I understand the situation is exceptional for everyone, restaurants, theaters, cinemas, museums. Everyone is suffering, we are not an exception, we have to believe in what we do and try to play a good game. We have 3 players who came back injured from international matches. We cannot control that. They let them play,” Guardiola added. Two games in 4 days without any preparation. The players are not machines. “
Guardiola had to count on players from City’s academy to overtake Bournemouth on Thursday in the League Cup.
Guardiola, the two-time Premier League champion with City, seeks to continue his strong start in the current season, after defeating his host Wolverhampton 3-1 in the second round.
City’s match against Aston Villa in the first round of the league was postponed.
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