Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed his concerns over his team’s ability to maintain their Premier League title challenge due to the intense mental and physical strain they have been under this season. City, who face Brighton on Wednesday, are aiming to become the first team to win the Premier League four times in a row. However, Guardiola admitted that he feared his side would drop out of the title race at one stage due to the pressure they were under. After their dramatic Champions League exit to Real Madrid on penalties, City showed resilience with a 1-0 FA Cup semi-final victory over Chelsea. Guardiola praised his team’s ability to bounce back from the disappointment of losing to Real Madrid and remain in the hunt for a domestic double.
“We’ve played a lot of games,” said Guardiola. “Madrid was really intense for many things. We were out of the Champions League having done really well, and after two or three days, we were tired here. Not just in the legs, it was more like they were tired here,” pointing to his head. “These guys have three weeks off, one month, so not much rest to recover. People sitting in chairs say ‘Ah, I complain’. But I defend my players, I know what I’m talking about, much, much better than the people outside. I know what I’m talking about, having seen my players for many years doing that. The human being does not have no limits, science says you need a certain time to recover many things, not just physically – mentally as well. And for many, many years, we don’t give them that but, despite that, still we are there. That’s why I say I’m really impressed but, all the time, I’m thinking ‘They will fall down’. This time I thought it would not be possible and still they make it possible. That’s why, when I reflect on my period here, I will always admire these type of players for many years, for finding a way to still be in it – this is unbelievable.”
Despite their European exit, Guardiola said he would have been satisfied with their current position at the start of the season. “Yeah, I would have signed for this,” said Guardiola. “At the end, we arrive in the last stages, which means you can arrive until the end or in one week you can lose all titles. It always happens like that. But the team again behaved unbelievably this season. Now, every mistake or step back makes it more difficult, but it is what it is. We’ve been here for the last few years, fortunately many times, so that’s how we know what we are playing for. They [Arsenal and Liverpool] have given us a chance by losing their games, but we knew what we had to do two weeks ago – win the games to have the chance in our hands to take the title. Nothing has changed from what we should do before.”
City’s victory over Chelsea showed their resilience and determination to end the season strongly. They will be confident of beating Brighton and maintaining their title challenge. Guardiola will be hoping that his team can avoid any further injuries and setbacks as they look to secure another Premier League crown.
