Manchester City manager says critics “might love” to play in the tournament
Pep Guardiola has defended Manchester City’s involvement in the revamped Club World Cup, responding to criticism from former rival Jurgen Klopp, who recently labelled the competition “the worst idea in the history of football”.
“Listen, I fought a lot with Jurgen many, many times,” said Guardiola. “I know where his idea comes from. His comments didn’t surprise me a lot. I understand him. I respect him.
“Now, he’s stepped back from that position [as a manager] and I understand his argument, because I would defend his argument, as well.”
City will play their fourth game of the competition on Tuesday and could play three more if they make it to the finals. Guardiola acknowledged the heavy toll of the congested fixture calendar but insisted that elite clubs must be prepared to adapt.
“As managers we don’t organise the competitions, but once we are here, we are proud,” said Guardiola. “Many, many teams complain about these competitions because they are not here; otherwise, they might love being here.”
Klopp’s comments had reignited the debate around football’s increasingly relentless calendar, with the former Liverpool manager suggesting players were being pushed to breaking point. Guardiola admitted that it was “not an ideal situation for the manager”.
“Would I love to have two months to prepare for next season? Yes,” said Guardiola. “Would I love to be refreshed for next season? Yes.
“But it is what it is. And we deserve what we have done in the past to be here. Once we are here, let’s do our best possible.”
City won all their group stage games in emphatic fashion, whipping Wydad, Al Ain and Juventus 2-0, 6-0 and 5-2 respectively to enter the knockout phase as one of the tournament’s favourites. However, Guardiola noted that it was possible for their involvement in the competition to affect them going into the 2025-26 season.
“Maybe in November, December or January, it will be a disaster, we are exhausted and the World Cup has destroyed us,” said Guardiola. “I don’t know, but it’s the first time in our lives that this has happened.
“Mentally, I think in the past the players have played in World Cups or European Championships for their national teams, so it happens sometimes. You need a rest mentally sometimes, you can recover and then we will see when we come back.”
