Pep Guardiola hailed his "supermen" Manchester City players following their 1-0 win over Bournemouth – while criticising their busy fixture list.
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City beat Bournemouth 1-0Guardiola hails his 'supermen'Manager criticises busy scheduleGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
City cut Liverpool's lead at the top of the Premier League to one point thanks to Phil Foden's goal in a 1-0 victory at Bournemouth. That was City's sixth game this month, leading Guardiola to praise his players' fitness and durability. However, the former Barcelona boss said his team are having to play too many matches and their schedule needs to be reduced.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT PEP GUARDIOLA SAID
He told : "I adore my players – they are supermen. They are so good. Where we come from for many years, playing every three days – they [Bournemouth] had seven days to prepare for the game and we always have less. So when people say, you play in the same conditions in the Premier League, no, no – we don't have the same equality, we have much more games than the rest to play, and this is a tough place to come, they are a fantastic team, they won 3-0 at Old Trafford.
"We demand too much of our players but they respond. I know people say: 'They earn a lot of money' but it [the schedule] is too much. Honestly, but business must go on and it surprises me every time how we are still there, they have an incredible character and are so competitive even when they are tired, they give extra. Our fans have to be so proud of these guys. The last 10-15 minutes were tough – we won the Treble and people think we have to win every game 4-0, 5-0 but that is not the reality and hopefully soon we can have a week off and refresh our minds and legs."
GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
City are going for another treble and when your team is successful, playing lots of matches comes with the territory. More games tends to mean players and clubs pocket more earnings as a result, so while footballers may be playing too often – a solution needs to be put forward to find a happy medium.
WHAT NEXT?
City, who have played 36 games this season compared to Bournemouth's 31 in all competitions, round off a busy month with an away trip to Luton Town in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Tuesday. It will be their fifth match in a two-week period.