Pep Guardiola references ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp as Man City manager insists clubs need 40-PLAYER squads to deal with fixture demands

Guardiola painted a grim picture of the problems engulfing elite level football, conceding that the number of games clubs are required to play isn't going to be reduced any time soon and that squads will have to grow in size to manage the demands. But that isn't a sustainable solution.

Manchester City played 59 games last season thanks to participation in seven different competitions. This season, they are already up to 38, with 19 fixtures still guaranteed and potentially up to 14 more on top of that if they were to reach the finals of the FA Cup, Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup. It could be 71 matches in total, without even accounting for players going on international duty, both during the season and at the Eurpean Championship or Copa America last summer. Star midfielder Rodri spoke out about the overwhelming physical demands on players shortly before being ruled out for months with an ACL injury.

Guardiola told reporters: "I always expect injuries during the season. Not as much as we've had, but it's not just a problem for Man City. You see the same at Tottenham, Arsenal, right now, most teams except Liverpool that all the season has been so stable in those terms. Real Madrid as well. Many teams. The solution to prevent that? I think Jurgen Klopp and myself have said it in the past. It is the calendar. I don't see another reason why there are a lot of injuries.

"It's not going to happen that there are less Premier League games. The Carabao Cup will continue. The only solution is to have 40 players in the squad. It's impossible. Bankruptcy for the clubs. How do you sustain 40 salaries and the transfers? It's impossible."

City made a plea to other Premier League clubs in recent days to consider delaying the start of the 2025-26 campaign given that there are only 34 days between the Club World Cup final in July and the opening weekend in August. They didn't get the support they were looking for, with a representative of one other team pointing out that Club World Cup participation is not obligatory, but is financially lucrative.

Prior to the March international break, City face seven games across three competitions, which could grow to 10 if they advance in the FA Cup and Champions League. The latter has expanded in 2024-25, with two additional fixtures added to the opening phase and an extra two-legged knockout round created that City have found themselves in.