Pep Guardiola will hand his Manchester City players several days off after this weekend’s FA Cup tie, hoping two rare free midweeks will recharge his “exhausted” squad for the Premier League title run-in.
Guardiola Orders City Stars to Disappear: ‘We Need to Not See Each Other’
City cruised past Fulham 3-0 on Wednesday, cutting Arsenal’s lead at the top to three points ahead of the Gunners’ trip to Brentford.
Antoine Semenyo, Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland all scored inside a devastating 15-minute first-half spell.
Guardiola described the display as “one of the best of the season,” particularly given the emotion of Sunday’s dramatic late fightback at Anfield.
“The next one is always tricky,” he said.
“We were lucky we were home.”
The City boss made early substitutions to protect key players.
Haaland did not appear for the second half, while Guardiola hauled off Bernardo Silva and Rodri shortly after the restart.
“Bernardo was exhausted, Rodri was exhausted,” Guardiola explained.
“Rodri didn’t lose one ball in the first half, then in the second half he lost 10 balls.”
City remain in four competitions, but their schedule offers a brief respite.
After Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against League Two Salford City, Guardiola’s side enjoy two clear midweeks before facing Newcastle and later Leeds United.
“Now we have Salford, then we need to not see each other and rest,” Guardiola added.
“We have an incredibly tough schedule, like Arsenal, and we will have a midweek off.
It’s been so tough with a lot of injuries. After Salford, we need two, three, four or five days off.”
The break provides a crucial opportunity to rotate and recover.
Guardiola acknowledges the physical toll on his squad, but with title rivals Arsenal facing similar congestion, he views these fleeting gaps as a potential advantage.
City welcome the chance to reset before the final push. Guardiola insists freshness, not just fixtures, will decide the destination of the trophy.
