Pep Guardiola Threatens To Leave Manchester City If…

Pep Guardiola has expressed his desire for Manchester City to streamline their squad this summer, emphasising the need for a more manageable number of players.

Pep Guardiola believes that having too many players leads to difficult decisions, which he finds challenging both for the team dynamics and his own management philosophy.

In Manchester City’s 3-1 victory against Bournemouth on Tuesday night, May 20, several senior players, including Abdukodir Khusanov, Savinho, James McAtee, Claudio Echeverri, and Rico Lewis, were not part of the 20-man matchday squad.

Guardiola acknowledged the depth of talent at his disposal but stated that it’s important for the team’s cohesion to have a smaller group to work with.

The Spanish tactician revealed: “I said to the club, I don’t want that [a bigger squad]. I don’t want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don’t want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay.

“It’s impossible for my soul to [tell] my players in the tribune [stands] that they cannot play.”

Guardiola emphasised that it is vital for the team’s spirit and connection that players feel engaged and valued.

The 54-year-old coach said, “Maybe [for] three, four months we couldn’t select 11 players, we didn’t have defenders, it was so difficult. After people came back, but next season it cannot be like that.

“As a manager, I cannot train 24 players, and every time I select, I have to have four, five, six stay in Manchester at home because they cannot play. This is not going to happen. I said to the club, I don’t want that.”