Following Manchester City's 1-1 draw against Arsenal on Sunday, manager Pep Guardiola voiced concerns about his team's congested schedule, citing fatigue as a significant factor in their performance. However, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has dismissed Guardiola's complaints, urging him to focus on the team's resources and the relatively manageable start to their season.
Guardiola attributed City's lackluster performance against Arsenal to a demanding week that included a derby match the previous weekend and a Champions League game against Napoli. He noted the emotional toll of the Napoli game and the travel involved, stating that his players were "incredibly tired". When questioned about the schedule, Guardiola responded, "But if you want to bring up the fact that now I'm complaining for the schedule, OK. OK, I'm complaining for the schedule! Are you satisfied? OK…!". He also pointed out that several players were injured, further impacting the team's effectiveness.
Keane, however, speaking as a pundit on Sky Sports, showed little sympathy for Guardiola's remarks. "If you're talking about fatigue and schedules, we're in September and they're on the back of two home matches," Keane stated. He downplayed the difficulty of City's recent fixtures, noting that their derby game was "fairly comfortable" and Napoli had a player sent off early in their Champions League clash. Keane also highlighted that City had not faced arduous travels to places like Russia or Poland, unlike some other teams.
Keane emphasized the physical demands of professional football, saying, "We all know the challenges of being a footballer is being robust and playing two or three games a week". He suggested that Guardiola had ample resources at his disposal, adding, "We look at their players on the bench, I'm sure there must be other managers in the Premier League looking at Pep thinking, 'Pep, if you think you've got problems with schedules and the strength in depth, my goodness'".
Keane also criticized City's performance against Arsenal, observing that they "didn't have that ghetto, they didn't have that swagger that they had a number of years ago". He acknowledged the absence of key players like Kevin De Bruyne but maintained that City should still be able to cope with their schedule.
Guardiola's comments also alluded to a change in City's approach, suggesting they were becoming more reliant on counter-attacks. He explained that when the opponent is superior and City defend deeper, they can utilize the pace of players like Erling Haaland to launch quick attacks. However, he insisted that this was not their preferred style of play. Keane picked up on this point, saying that he didn't like the angle Pep was coming from. He said that City did show fighting spirit, but they were lucky to get a point.
