Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola criticised the Premier League for scheduling their penultimate game of the season just 72 hours after the FA Cup final.
City play Bournemouth on Tuesday with little time to rest and recover after Sunday’s FA Cup final meeting with Crystal Palace, with the league fixture crucial amid a tight race for Champions League qualification
Guardiola pointed out that Tottenham Hotspur successfully appealed to have a Premier League game against Aston Villa moved from Sunday to Friday to accommodate their preparations for the Europa League final next Wednesday.
Asked if he would prefer to play their fixture against Bournemouth on Wednesday or Thursday instead, Guardiola said: “Definitely. Tottenham played against Aston Villa on Friday ahead of the Europa League final.
“Good decision, I’m not being sarcastic. The Premier League made a good decision, very good.”
Sixth-placed City have played one game less than Chelsea and Aston Villa, placed fourth and fifth, who are just a point above the last four seasons’ champions, as all three seek to ensure a top-five finish to qualify for Europe’s top competition.
Bournemouth are currently tenth but still have a chance to finish eighth, which could earn them a spot in the Conference League’s playoff round, provided City win the FA Cup.
“We have been fighting against these situations for nine years, every single season and nothing goes,” Guardiola said on Friday.
“We are going to play Tuesday night against one of the most intense and physical and direct and powerful teams in the Premier League, Bournemouth, who are playing for the Europa League or Conference qualification. It will be tough.
“We play all the time quarter-finals and semi-finals, quarter-finals and semi-finals on a Wednesday away. We play [FA Cup] semi-finals on a Saturday but this time on a Sunday and we didn’t need that extra day.”
He suggested their games had been scheduled to Saturdays because more fans would be available to watch Sunday fixtures, adding: “People say (the schedule) is for broadcasters, more fans or followers and other things. The previous year they had more followers on the other game, not our game. They are tired of seeing us.”
Additional reporting by Reuters
