Manchester City football club
will face Barcelona in a pre-season match in the United States, but the team still has 13 international players who participated in the Europa League yet to return. These players are expected to return before the August 10 Community Shield match. Manchester City boss
Pep Guardiola (1985-), Spanish footballer
said in an interview that he doesn't expect the team to open the season with a full roster.
Pep Guardiola said about his team's situation, "We have players who will return late, not only for the game against Manchester United, but also for Chelsea and Ipswich. We will try to start the season without dropping points and try to play good games. Some of our players will be away because they have to rest."
He further emphasized the importance of rest for the players, "If the big bosses and all the bodies like FIFA, UEFA and the Premier League don't look out for the players, then the managers have to look out for them or they are going to hang. There are too many games, that's why it's necessary to give them three weeks or a month off, but the games are already scheduled and you have to adapt."
Guardiola pointed out that the current schedule does not take into account the fitness of the players: "There is no solution and there will not be a solution because no one intends to find a solution at all. The club has to travel around the world to show our brand, to let other continents and regions see our players, and we have to adapt."
On the team's preparations, Guardiola said, "We would like to have the right preparations, but it's not possible. The national team deserves to be in the tournament, the NFF, UEFA and the various local tournaments each body wants to defend its brand and organize the tournament."
Despite the many challenges, Guardiola remains optimistic about the team's future, "When everyone comes back, we will have a good squad. We have three, four or five interesting young players available and we'll try to succeed in the same heavy schedule this year as we have in previous seasons."
City fans will be watching closely to see how the team performs in pre-season and in the early stages of the new season, hoping that the team can overcome the difficulties and continue to be competitive in all competitions.
