BritishCoach Pep Guardiola does not let his players practice much, for fear of overload and injury.
“Before the match against Liverpool, we only practiced 15 minutes with the ball and 10 minutes in defense,” Guardiola told the website. Goal on November 27. "If we practice normally, we won't have players to play."
Guardiola is worried that normal training immediately after international competition could cause players to be overloaded and injured. He only allowed his players to practice for a maximum of 35 minutes after returning to Man City, and maintained this for seven years. On the other hand, Guardiola also wants to retain the players while the team has many injuries and illnesses.
Pep Guardiola (right) shakes hands with Jurgen Klopp after Man City drew 1-1 with Liverpool in round 13 of the Premier League on the evening of November 25, at Etihad Stadium. Image: EPA
In the 1-1 draw with Liverpool on the evening of November 25, due to injury, Kevin De Bruyne and Mateo Kovacic were both absent. Jack Grealish also rested due to stomach pain. Guardiola did not even use any substitutions, although John Stones, Josko Gvardiol and Rico Lewis were all on the squad. Man City coach admitted he did not want to take risks with Stones. He wanted an extra week or two for the English defender to get used to heavy training sessions again.
Guardiola also believes that Liverpool has the advantage of practicing more than Man City 15 days before the 2023-2024 season. Liverpool ends the 2022-2023 season on May 28, while Man City ends on June 5, when they beat Inter 10-6 in the Champions League final.
“Do you know if 15 days is more or less?”, Guardiola asked. "Compared to us, Liverpool has 15 more days to practice with new players."
At Etihad Stadium on November 25, Man City started better. After 11 minutes of play, Erling Haaland kicked the ball off goalkeeper Alisson's hand and into the goal, opening the score for the home team. However, Man City still lacked a bit of luck to finish the match. After playing poorly, Liverpool suddenly counterattacked to equalize in the 27th minute. Mohamed Salah passed the ball at the right level for Trent Alexander-Arnold to enter the penalty area and shoot diagonally, scoring to the surprise of Man City's defense.
After the draw with Liverpool, Man City lost the top position in the Premier League to Arsenal. Guardiola's team is ranked second with 29 points, one point behind Arsenal and one point more than Liverpool. Aston Villa also has 28 points, but ranked fourth due to poor difference.
Thanh Quy (follow Goal)
