City fixture pile-up has Pep fuming
break before going to Real Madrid for the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final.
They then meet Luton three days before the return with the Spanish giants – and Guardiola is incensed by the decision to schedule his team’s FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea on Saturday, April 20 when it could have been staged 24 hours later.
Guardiola said: “Madrid have nine days to prepare. Nine days! They play this weekend and then not again until our game – while I am thinking, ‘Oh just give me one more day!’.
“With one more day the difference is a lot – but there is no chance. That’s why, when you ask me about changes to the calendar, I give my opinion – but forget about it.
“It’s really tough playing every three days, three days, three days – and the other clubs don’t have that situation.
“In France, PSG don’t play between their quarter-final games. In Portugal, they often play on Friday before the Champions League.
“They (the FA and Premier League) have their own decisions.
“But I’d like to know why we play in the FA Cup all the time on Saturday and not on Sunday. One day is a lot of difference with injured players and the accumulation of games.”
Sacrifice
Guardiola has refused to sacrifice the domestic cup competitions to prioritise the Premier League and Champions League during his reign.
City are the first club in the 152-year history of the FA Cup to reach six successive semi-finals – but in each of the last four seasons they have been forced to play at Wembley on the Saturday after featuring in the Champions League rather than being granted an extra 24 hours to rest.
Manchester United meet Coventry in the other semi-final the following day.
Guardiola’s frustration has been compounded by losing John Stones and Kyle Walker to injury after they featured in two England friendlies.
He said: “UEFA has its own business, FIFA has its own business – and the broadcasters have their own business.
“Do you think they think, ‘Oh, what about City?’. The calendar has always been like that with us. There has always been less days to recover.
“Coventry, United, Chelsea, they are on holidays that week. So why are we playing Saturday? Remember, we need five hours to travel to London. Chelsea won’t be coming here. Just understand it from my point of view.”