Football is utterly littered with startlingly hypocritical statements from players, coaches, and referees alike, and Pep Guardiola’s latest comments are unlikely to be the last in a long line.
The Manchester City head coach was quoted as having complained about the fixture schedule ahead of their Champions League encounter with Real Madrid.
The Spaniard’s prior critique of Jurgen Klopp, in regard to the German tactician’s own comments on the schedule, hadn’t gone unforgotten for one Reds fan (@JustLuboMerkov), with the relevant Guardian article dragged up on Twitter.
https://t.co/eyeqmF3fve pic.twitter.com/MWBK4KjvjA
— Less Notorious Lubo (@JustLuboMerkov) May 13, 2023
Should the Premier League be more flexible with scheduling?
Fixture scheduling is far from being a fresh concern, with our manager having made clear on multiple occasions just how unsympathetic the English top-flight can be.
In that sense, we’re completely with Guardiola when it comes to the stupidity of handing European opposition an advantage when the scheduling is, to varying degrees, a controllable factor.
It’s interesting, of course, that the 52-year-old didn’t see fit to back his managerial colleague when complaints were previously fielded.
Perhaps even the Sky Blues’ ludicrous squad depth only stretches so far to provide an advantage.