Pep Guardiola has admitted the Club World Cup could “destroy” Manchester City’s 2025/26 campaign, with the manager ignoring its potential impact to avoid feeling anxious.
On Monday, City face Al-Hilal in the last 16 at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium. While some of Guardiola’s players had only five days off before the start of the tournament, others enjoyed a three-week break. All the squad can expect at least three weeks off following the Club World Cup.
Earlier this month, England coach Thomas Tuchel stated the champions, Liverpool, and Arsenal, who finished second, have a “huge advantage” next term due to not being at the tournament in the United States. Guardiola was asked about the England boss’s claim.
“I try not to think about it, otherwise I will be so anxious,” Guardiola said. “We will rest the time the Premier League allows us to. And game by game, month by month, we will see. And maybe in November, December, January, ask me, Pep. I may say: ‘So listen, we are a disaster. We are exhausted. The World Cup destroyed us.’ I don’t know, but it’s the first time in our life that that’s happened [32-team CWC]. So we will see.
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“So I try to be relaxed, to enjoy the days here, the good vibes that we have, the competition, to try to win it. And the most important thing, to recover, to find or re-find ourselves what we were. This is my main target in this tournament.”
At the weekend, former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said the tournament winners will be the “worst of all time” due to the relentless schedule. Klopp is now head of global soccer for Red Bull, with one of the teams he oversees, Salzburg, eliminated at the group stage.
“I know where his idea comes from,” Guardiola said in response to Klopp’s comments. “We fought a lot [together] when we went to the Uefa meetings, especially when we discussed the Premier League calendar, about how to add more quality to it. [We discussed] giving the managers and players more rest. So his comments didn’t surprise me a lot. I understand him. I respect him. I’ve had an incredible relationship with Jürgen for many years as rivals.
“Now he’s stepped back from that [Liverpool] position and I understand his argument, because I would defend his argument as well. At the same time, as managers we are in a job. We follow the Fifa, Uefa, Premier League rules.
“Many, many teams complain about these competitions because they are not here, otherwise they might love being here. They would have their media and supporters here, and there would be income to be here, and they would be happy to be here. Of course, it’s not an ideal situation for the manager. Would I love to have two months to prepare for next season? Yes. Would I love to be refreshed for next season? Yes. But it is what it is.”
Manchester City kick-off at 9pm local time (2am Irish time) against Al-Hilal with rain and potentially lightning forecast which could halt the match. Guardiola laughed off any concern.
“I am an extraordinary manager, but to control lightning and thunder, still I am not good enough,” he said.
Al-Hilal’s captain, Salem Al-Dawsari, and the No 9, Aleksandar Mitrović, are both unavailable due to injury. – Guardian
