'Otherwise they will die' - Pep Guardiola says Man City have major problem that is 'impossible' to solve

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed disappointment that he does not have the majority of his players available on tour

A frustrated Guardiola vs AC Milan

Pep Guardiola has done the maths. Manchester City reported back for training on July 15 2024. If they reach the final of the FIFA Club World Cup next summer, that is pencilled in for July 13 2025. He's preparing for a 12-month season and wants people to know about it.

"A proper preparation is impossible. We cannot demand when they're exhausted to train properly," Guardiola said this week. "They have to be fresh in the mind."

Expanding on that theme after City's second friendly of the summer, he added: "I would have preferred to bring [on tour] Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones, Kyle Walker, all the guys the people are waiting for but the schedule is the schedule and it would not be possible for them to come here."

Guardiola has been a vocal critic of the schedule his players must deal with. He is grateful for his own rest this summer to switch off, but sympathises with those players who had 11-month seasons and need to reset. If a 12-month season follows, he says it is his responsibility to protect his players and give them rest. Nobody else will do that.

Because after the 12-month campaign, City would be expected to start their 2025/26 campaign around a month later. That leaves no time for any proper pre-season, and could see players in action for 23 of the next 24 months. And that's after a similar schedule over the last two years.

So his big names, the ones who played in the Euros, have an open-ended holiday. Only return when you're ready to kick a ball, Guardiola says. If you're not ready, don't come back.

Maybe that could be considered a risk - City play Manchester United in the Community Shield in 12 days, and open their Premier League campaign with a tough assignment against Chelsea a week later.

"We will arrive late," the boss warned. "But not against United, against Chelsea and Ipswich. We will be late, it’s try to not drop many points, try to compete well. We don’t have players because they have to rest, if the big bosses and all the institutions like FIFA, UEFA and the Premier League don't think about the players then the managers have to think about them, otherwise they will die.

"It’s too much. That’s why three weeks or one month is necessary, but the competition is there and you have to adapt."

Erling Haaland bemoaned the schedule on Friday, noting the lack of quality at the Euros because 'everyone was tired'. But asked if he had too much football, he put the question back on the questioner. 'What do you think? I like playing football.'

Rodri has led calls for more protection and rest for players, backed by Guardiola, and now Haaland is concerned. Yet Guardiola has never been confident that his calls will be answered. He even suggested last season that players would have to strike to enact change.

FIFPro, the player's union, have launched a legal challenge against FIFA regarding next year's Club World Cup. Guardiola has acknowledged that, doubting whether the competition will take place, but is preparing for it to go ahead. After the courtroom arguments, it will be the players who have to step up.

"No, there’s no solution, there will not be a solution because there is no intention to find a solution," Guardiola said bluntly on Saturday. "The clubs have to travel to make our brand around the world, to let other continents and places see our players, and we have to adapt. It’s not just happened this season, it happened for five, six, seven years, every time it’s the same.

"We would like to have had proper preparation but it’s impossible because national teams deserve to play and every institution like FIFA and UEFA and local competitions, want to defend their product and make games. We have a good squad when everybody comes back, we have three, four, five interesting players just in case we need them.

"We will do what we have done in the previous seasons when we have had success having the same calendar as this year, so it is what it is and we have to adapt."

One of Guardiola's favourite Anglicisms is to say 'it is what it is'. In this case, he knows City must travel to places like the USA to showcase their brand. He knows FIFA want to make as much money as possible, too. It's not as simple as cutting the number of games to protect players.

So he will continue to prepare his squad, whoever is present, for the new season. But if City have a slow start or don't maintain the same intensity over the next 12 months, don't say he didn't warn you