MANCHESTER, England : Premier League teams have it tougher than their European rivals due to their demanding fixture list, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said on Friday as his team prepare to face Arsenal four days after a key Champions League match.
City scraped through to the knockout round of Europe’s elite competition on Wednesday with a 3-1 win over Club Brugge and had little time to recover before resuming their league campaign.
They were also drawn on Friday morning to take on European giants Real Madrid in the two-legged Champions League playoffs.
“In Premier League, every team has to play everyone,” Guardiola said. “But normally in Premier League they always put the toughest schedules for teams in Europe in the important stages, schedule the most difficult ones, because it is tough to play against Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.”
Guardiola grew prickly when asked whether the league should do more to help clubs, saying the problem existed well before his arrival in Manchester.
“Are you asking me that question after many years here? Come on. Don’t make me (answer) that question,” he said. “You have been here many years before me and it has always been like that. I’m not complaining because we have incredible success playing that calendar.
“It’s always been like that. We accept it. I’m not complaining because we won trebles and had success doing like that.
“I said many times, last season, we played the quarter-final against Madrid and three days later we had the FA Cup semi-final in Wembley when we could have another day. But we survive. I remember when I was in Barcelona and followed the Premier League and Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger made the same complaints.
“Do you think it is going to change? The broadcasters decide, they don’t ask me what is better to play.”
City are fourth in the league standings on 41 points, six behind second-placed Arsenal. Guardiola’s side will be without Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake and Jeremy Doku, who all remain injured.
The manager denied any rift with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta amid what has become a heated battle between the two sides. Arteta was part of Guardiola’s City staff for three-and-a-half years.
“With him and his family, (our relationship is) exceptional,” Guardiola said. “Of course not in touch now, he has his business and I have mine and other games, but the respect we have is always there.”
