Pep Guardiola has given his first indication English football is proving more exhausting than he anticipated, as Manchester City prepare for an EFL Cup derby against Manchester United in the middle of a sequence of six games in 18 days.
Having two of them against Barcelona does not help but after previously suggesting the intensity of other leagues around Europe was just as high, Guardiola now accepts one of the reasons for City’s run of five winless games is that recovery time in England is so limited.
“Our last few games have been tough,” the City manager said. “If you are winning a game 3-0 in the last 15 or 20 minutes you can have more control and it gets a little easier. But we were playing 10 against 11 against Barcelona, it’s physical and tough in the Champions League. After that there was the game against Southampton, when we made a mistake to go behind.”
Guardiola has played top English teams before with his previous clubs and knew English Champions League opponents could be difficult but he now speaks of sides such as Southampton and West Bromwich Albion with equal respect. “Three days after Manchester United it is West Brom, then Barcelona and they are so important as well,” he said. “I am still learning about football in this country.
“Even when we were winning 10 games in a row I felt we had to make a lot of effort to win those games. You cannot win any game here without spending a lot of energy. I am still learning how the team reacts to winning and not winning, to playing at home after a Champions League game, and I am pretty sure I need time.”
One adaptation Guardiola has already made is to practise penalties. City failed to convert two in dropping two home points against Everton this month, and the League Cup tie at Old Trafford could be decided by a shootout. “We have started already,” he said. “We want the best performance possible at Old Trafford, and I am trying to prepare the team to win the game.”