Pep Guardiola hoping to avoid ‘nul points’ nightmare as Eurovision threatens Treble bid
Pep Guardiola is hoping the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool this weekend does not jeopardise Manchester City’s Treble chances after their fixture at Everton was moved back a day.
City’s match at Goodison Park was originally scheduled for this Saturday but was chosen for TV and there was no room to move the fixture back because it clashed with Eurovision being hosted at Liverpool Arena – with events and screenings around the city impacting policing.
It means Guardiola’s squad have one less day to prepare for their Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid on Wednesday, with the Spanish side facing Getafe on Saturday evening.
“I don't understand it. But I don’t want to fight for that anymore,” said Guardiola. “I have to adapt. I don't fight anymore about the schedules, Uefa and Premier League and so on.
“I'm pretty sure the Premier League wants to help the teams, not to make it uncomfortable. The problem is because of the schedule, this amount of competitions and games. This is the problem.
“We can't play Saturday because Eurovision or something like that in Liverpool, and we don’t have too much police to handle two important events at the same time. What can I do? We'd prefer to play Saturday so we can prepare more, definitely.
“It is not about the Premier League, or that in France and Germany they play Friday [before Champions League games], here is the opposite. The Premier League is more important, the schedule is the schedule, the days are the days. We cannot stop. But since day one I felt it, and it's not going to change.”
Guardiola believes his team need to win three of their last four games to win the Premier League, as he expects Arsenal to win their remaining games this season against Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Wolves.
There is little margin for error in City’s run-in, but they also have their Real semi-final on a knife edge after the 1-1 draw at the Bernabéu last week, with the game against an Everton team who scored five past Brighton in their last match and are fighting for survival.
“It’s 11 months working for the Premier League. I don’t want to be distracted for Madrid, I have time but not much time because we are playing Sunday, thank you so much,” Guardiola added, sarcastically.
“Definitely they [Arsenal] are going to win the three games. So we know exactly what we have to do to win the Premier League. I would like the games they have against Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Wolves. I would like them to drop points. I think with the long weeks to prepare, they will do nine points.”
City also have the FA Cup final on June 3 to prepare for and Guardiola could utilise his squad, after resisting using any substitutes in the first leg against Real Madrid. Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden are among those ready to be recalled, while Nathan Ake is edging closer to a return after injury.
“I speak with the physios and staff and decide. A lot of games to choose, maybe you don't believe me but I rely on them a lot, all of them,” Guardiola said. “There are players in moments who are so important for us.
“We will see if they can play every three or four days. Against Leeds people say they were tired. The game after is so demanding, then Goodison Park, the game against Madrid as well. It’s a lot of games.
“When you play a lot of games it is normal that happens. We have games in hand from the past which we have to put in now. There are a lot of games. When you play in just one competition it is completely different. Now, it is what it is.”
