Pep Guardiola says that he ‘completely’ agrees with Jurgen Klopp after the Liverpool boss said there was ‘too much’ football in the English footballing calendar, especially over the winter months.
Liverpool‘s 5-5 draw with Arsenal on Wednesday saw the Premier League leaders qualify for the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, beating Unai Emery’s men 5-4 on penalties.
However, their progress to the last eight has only further compounded the Reds upcoming fixture pile-up, the quarter-finals currently scheduled for the week commencing December 16th, the same week that Liverpool are due to compete in the Club World Cup in Qatar following their Champions League triumph earlier this year.
Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool might not be able to play their #CarabaoCup quarter-final.#LFC pic.twitter.com/q43YFPCR32
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 31, 2019
While reports have suggested that Liverpool’s game against Aston Villa is likely to be moved, it still doesn’t take away the fact that they will play 11 games in a five-week period, leaving Jurgen Klopp to say that players are being asked to play ‘too much’ football.
Pep Guardiola has previously complained about the English football schedule, and when asked about Klopp’s comments, the Man City boss echoed the thoughts of his Premier League title rival, saying he has to ‘prioritise’ tournaments by rotating his side.
“I completely agree,” the Catalan said at his pre-match press conference.
“We need less fixtures, more competitions, more recovery, we play 27, 28 [games] in wintertime. It’s a debate from a long time ago. I completely with Jurgen on these kind of statements about ‘too much’.
“I prioritise – I didn’t play Ilkay, kevin, Silva last game. Jurgen has done the same, Arsenal have done the same. It’s too much, it’s too much.”
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