Pep Guardiola’s declaration that he would “quit” Manchester City if his squad is not substantially reduced caught everyone off guard. However, was he being entirely sincere?
Pep Guardiola’s expression was characterised by a slight grin as he declared, “I will resign.”
It was as though the notion of uttering those three words suddenly occurred to him; he contemplated it for a brief moment before proceeding nonetheless. On a night when Manchester City was on the verge of securing a Champions League spot, the mischievous side of a manager who relishes playing games with the media was once again on display.
However, his message was grave. He dislikes excluding players from matchday squads when they are unworthy of inclusion; however, the return of nearly all of his injured players has resulted in the exclusion of an increasing number of peripheral names from the matchday 20.
In addition to Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, and the injured John Stones, Rico Lewis and James McAtee have been absent from two consecutive games. Savinho and Claudio Echeverri were also absent against Bournemouth. Those are the seven individuals that Guardiola would have preferred to have chosen but was unable to do so.
Thus, the inquiry regarding whether he requires a reduced squad for the upcoming season yielded the headline response. “I informed the club that I do not desire a larger squad.” I do not wish to leave five or six players in the tribune. I am opposed to that. He declared, “I will resign.” “I will remain if they reduce the size of the squad.” It is impossible for my soul to provide my players in the tribune with an inability to perform.
“I am unable to train 24 players as a manager, and I must have four, five, or six players remain at home in Manchester every time I select them because they are unable to play.” This is not going to transpire. I informed the institution that I did not wish for that to occur.
It is a reversal of sorts from Guardiola, who acknowledged in the midst of City’s injury crisis that his long-standing policy of maintaining a smaller, more cohesive squad may need to be abandoned in the face of an ever-expanding schedule and an increasing number of games. He is now adamant that the addition of more athletes is not a positive development.
“I am not interested in having 24, 25, or 26 players when all of them are in good health.” In the event that I sustain injuries, we have athletes available for the academy, and we will execute the task,” he continued.
Leave a Reply