Pep: “We think we are special, we don't protect the players and that's why it's a disaster”

Pep Guardiola, Manchester City manager, insisted on the need to include all five substitutions in the Premier League, the honor division of English football, with the aim of protecting players from injury.

In this Sunday's duel between the Manchester City and Liverpool, which ended 1-1, Trent Alexander-Arnold was injured, which served Guardiola to advocate for more protection for footballers. “Here we believe that we are more special, we don't protect players and that's why it's a disaster“, said the coach to the media with television rights.

The Spanish coach spoke with the German Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool coach, at the end of the match and was asked about the issue they discussed. “We talked about the five substitutions. Now it has been an English player, a right-back, who has been injured. There are many cases. In other leagues the five changes are key, but here we do the opposite“Guardiola pointed out.

In summer, the Premier League voted against continuing to use five substitutions, as was done after the restart of the competition after the stoppage caused by the pandemic; and as is still done in most European leagues and competitions.

Jürgen Klopp, for his part, joined the critics what another colleague did (Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United manager), of the Premier League calendar and he said that no team that plays Wednesday night should play Saturday morning as well.

The German thus supported the complaints of Solskjaer, whose team had to play the game at 12:30 in the morning on Saturday in England after having played in Istanbul on Wednesday night in the Champions League.

The Norwegian complained and said he does not understand why if Liverpool and City had played on Tuesday they could play on Sunday, while his team had to do so on Saturday. “I have spoken to the Premier League. No team that plays on Wednesday night should play again on Saturday at 12:30, “Klopp told the BBC after his team's draw against the cityzens.

“Sunday is no problem, though It shouldn't be at 12:30, because it means getting up and playing and you're still in the recovery phase. The Premier League has to change it. Sky, Bt Sports … have to talk about it, “added the Liverpool manager.