talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan has told Pep Guardiola to ‘shut up’ after the Manchester City coach ranted about fixture scheduling. Guardiola vented his anger after City’s 1-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday in the FA Cup semi-final, setting up a Wembley final against Manchester United next month. After being knocked out of the Champions League on Wednesday against Real Madrid, the Catalan coach was furious that his side were back on the pitch three days later. But he has not had much sympathy from the talkSPORT studios, and Jordan in particular slapped down Guardiola’s complaints.
Reacting to the City manager, the former Crystal Palace owner said: “Let’s have it right. The reason why you have one of the most expensively assembled squads, the reason why football people are paid ridiculous amounts is because of broadcast revenue. So you can’t take all of the upside and none of the downside.”
“I watched his interview after the game with Gary Lineker, who was lost for words, which I always think is a bonus. But he came out with this ridiculous martyr syndrome. If City had beaten Real Madrid, you probably wouldn’t have heard the same outlook from him.”
“You are in the business of sport, your achievements have taken you to the higher echelons of games and the fixture schedule is a result of it. You have a squad with it, you have the players capable of dealing with it, shut up now. For me, it is beyond the pale of acceptance.”
Jordan added: “If you are a Man City fan, you’ll be appalled at my observations here because everything that is said about City that vaguely veers into criticism is some mortal sin. But enough now. Enough. How are you going to change the fixtures? They were drawn out of a hat, the FA Cup semi-final is set, what are you going to do?”
