Following their 1-all draw with Liverpool at the weekend Manchester City now have a week between games. Up next for the world champions is Newcastle United in the quarter-final stage of the FA Cup. The game is set to take place at the Etihad on Saturday evening. A positive for the FA Cup holders is they now have a week to prepare before they take on Eddie Howe’s side.
The week between games has come at the ideal time for Pep Guardiola’s team. They did appear tired at various stages of their draw at Anfield. Given the amount of games, Manchester City has already played this season it is only natural that fatigue is becoming an issue for the City squad. Since the beginning of February Manchester City has played 11 games with the games coming every three or four days as they feature in the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and FA Cup.
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It has been par for the course for Pep Guardiola’s squad in recent seasons to play so often. It is a path they travelled last season en route to securing the treble. But it does come at a cost with the Manchester City squad appearing to tire at times which appeared evident at Anfield on Sunday.
Speaking after his team’s draw with Liverpool City’s midfield general Rodri explained that the City squad is relishing the chance to reset and recharge. He said this week’s break coupled with the upcoming international break will give the City squad the chance to recharge their batteries ahead of the final push for silverware this season. Rodri said: “We need a break. We have the FA Cup game (against Newcastle) and then go to the international teams so it will be good for us to refresh and give the last push at the end of the season. We know how good we are in the last part of the season, we just need to charge the batteries again and focus on the last 10 games.”
This week’s break between games has come at the ideal time for Manchester City. It will give Pep Guardiola’s side a chance to recharge their batteries before they embark on the final stages of this season.
