Pep Guardiola says some of his Manchester City players are “so tired” and praised the efforts of his squad after they made it through to the Champions League quarter finals with a 6-2 aggregate win over FC Copenhagen.
City won 3-1 in their second leg clash, as they did in the first leg, thanks to goals from Manuel Akanji, Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland.
Guardiola opted to make seven changes for the game, with his side taking on title rivals Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, and the City boss says having “fresh legs” was crucial to progressing in the Champions League.
“If this game is just two weeks before the end of the season, maybe I make another selection,” Guardiola said.
“But I know how Phil (Foden) ran against (Manchester) United. Phil is a player that is going to play right now, and Bernardo (Silva), but when I spoke to them I saw many things. They said ‘Pep, I’m so tired’.
“It’s not thinking about the next one. Never.”
Watch Guardiola’s press conference below:
