Manchester City should, in theory, be perfectly prepared to face Brighton on Saturday. But Pep Guardiola doesn't agree.
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NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 08: Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, reacts during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and Manchester City FC at the City Ground on March 08, 2025 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 08: Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, reacts during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and Manchester City FC at the City Ground on March 08, 2025 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Have Manchester City finally emerged from an injury crisis only to dive straight into an identity crisis?
Pep Guardiola took a routine question, one he has been asked plenty of times before, and turned it on its head on Friday. How long has he bemoaned the schedule for asking too much of his players? For the lack of preparation between games? For the inability to get his teeth into any meaningful training to improve his squad.
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Now he is presented with that luxury until the end of the season, and Guardiola appears to be yearning for the intense schedule of three games a week and the pressures that come with it. The solution to some of his problems only appears to have reared another.
City's tired and stretched squad buckled under the pressure of a relentless midweek schedule before Christmas and crashed out of the Champions League in February. That has unlocked almost a free run to the end of the season without endless games, barring one scheduled midweek fixture in a fortnight against Leicester and possibly two more games if they progress in the FA Cup.
Guardiola initially welcomed that time, and this week said he enjoyed sitting down and watching the Champions League last-16 ties come to an exciting conclusion.
But he also bit back when asked about having more time to rest, train and prepare. "We had last season against Nottingham [Forest] and it didn't work," he replied, followed by a stare at the questioner. Usually he fills that silence with another trail of thought but this was blunt.
Put to him that these game-free weeks can benefit his side until the end of the season, Guardiola was unconvinced. "I would say completely the opposite," he said.
"In the past we were in contention for all the competitions and look how it works. You have to prove that we can do it without playing every three or four days."
So while City struggled playing so many games with so many injuries this season, now they want those games back to help with performances. It goes without saying that Guardiola would prefer to be in the Champions League and challenging for the title, as well as in this weekend's Carabao Cup final. But it's certainly a change to a long-term theme that he has always asked for more time between games.
He instead chose to challenge his players to 'prove' that they can perform on more than just momentum and confidence.
Ilkay Gundogan has spoken on the struggles this week, insisting: "I don't think we're too tired. I don't think we're too old." He suggested that they may be victims of their own success, supporting Ruben Dias's admission last weekend that the squad are 'fighting' to adjust their mentality from fighting for four trophies to scrapping for only a top four place.
"We're discussing it ourselves," Gundogan added. "Sometimes there's nothing else you can do but accept it. We do that, knowing that we can do better because we've made enough mistakes ourselves. We're good at assessing them."
It must be something Guardiola has noticed, too, if he is snapping back at questions he has answered before. But if the squad are not matching his high standards then he will do what he can to put it right.
The visit of Brighton - a direct rival for that top four spot - will be a true test of Guardiola's challenge and whether the players have made the most of the free week they have just enjoyed.
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It will be far more concerning to Guardiola if the mood in the squad has stayed low even when the pressure has come off a little.