Pep Guardiola shares reason why he won't be watching the international games
By Hidayah Ali
The international break has approached, and Manchester City will play their next fixture in almost two weeks' time, which will be the Premier League game with Arsenal.
Before then, the players will head off to represent their nations in at least two or three fixtures each. With the Summer rapidly approaching and many of the Man City players most definitely taking part in the European Championships, this international break will be valuable.
However, Pep Guardiola is understandably not a fan of the international break, as he worries which of these players could return and be unable to play in the upcoming club fixtures. These include crucial Premier League fixtures, an FA Cup semi-final clash with Chelsea, and a two-legged tie with Real Madrid in the Champions League.
"I will not watch the games," he started stating, which showed his worry about the duties the players will take on, "I will rest, and when they arrive on Thursday, we will see which players survive and do not survive."
"It's difficult sometimes in that period, which is the busiest time of the season. The schedule is the schedule. We have a final against Arsenal; I don't want to think too much about the future. It's been an intense period."
Pep then went on to note the positives that can be taken from the break, "A change of environment is always good for the mind. Players will play with the national team or spend time with families, and the staff will be with families. When we come back, we will have three days to prepare for the game against Arsenal. "
The manager also shared his own plans for the next two weeks or so, "I will go to Catalonia to rest a lot."
While the men will go and join their national squads, the Women's team will play in the Manchester derby in the hope of continuing at the top of the WSL table.