Coach Guardiola: 'Every match with Man City is easy'

Ahead of today's Premier League match against Wolves, coach Pep Guardiola teased reporters when asked about Man City's expectations of victory.

Man City will travel to Wolves in round seven with a six-game winning streak since the start of the season. They defeated Burnley 3-0, Newcastle 1-0, Sheffield 2-1, Fulham 5-1, West Ham 3-1, Nottingham Forest 2-0 to create a two-point gap with second-placed Liverpool.

Wolves, on the other hand, have endured a chaotic pre-season, sacking manager Julen Lopetegui and appointing Gary O'Neil just a week before the Premier League started. They are currently 16th with four points from one win, one draw and four defeats.

Guardiola directs Man City players during training on the afternoon of September 29. Photo: MCFC — Guardiola directs Man City players during training on the afternoon of September 29. Photo: *MCFC*

In a press conference before the match at Molineux, when asked if Man City would easily win three points, Guardiola sarcastically said: "Normally, all matches against Man City are easy. If we don't create a 10-point gap in the Premier League by November, it will be a disaster."

The Spaniard then spoke more realistically, praising Wolves for having a quality attack with Pedro Neto, Matheus Cunha, Hwang Hee-Chan and Mario Lemina. Guardiola also praised his colleague O'Neil for doing well last season in helping Bournemouth stay in the league, and will continue to show his ability at his new club.

After a historic treble, Man City were expected to go further than winning a quadruple this season. But a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle in the third round of the League Cup in midweek saw Guardiola's side miss out on an early chance of winning the title. The 52-year-old was disappointed with the result, but said Man City had played well. "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. That's football," he said.

Guardiola said Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne would continue to miss the game through injury. Meanwhile, Rodrigo is suspended for grabbing midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White and receiving a straight red card in the win over Nottingham Forest a week ago. Guardiola admitted it was a big loss, but would not change Man City's system or style of play.

In press conferences this week, Guardiola, following in the footsteps of his colleagues Erik ten Hag and Mikel Arteta, also complained about the heavy schedule that has led to injuries. According to the 52-year-old coach, the only way to stop this is for the players to "rebel" and demand their rights.

"Any idea to reduce the number of matches for the players would be great," Guardiola said. "But nothing will change. There is only one solution, if the players decide. To stop the federations, you have to change something. After statements like that, maybe FIFA and UEFA will react. Without Guardiola, the game will continue. But without the players, it will not."

After the match against Wolves, Man City will play RB Leipzig in the second round of Group G of the Champions League on October 4 and then face Arsenal in the eighth round of the Premier League on October 8.

Hong Duy

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