The Premier League schedule for Manchester City only provides a portion of the team’s narrative.
It is expected of Pep Guardiola to strive for success in every competition, and this can have two effects: winning cups can boost league morale while playing too many games might result in a decline in performance and loss of important points. City always wants to be in the running for trophies in the closing months of the season, but they will need to overcome a challenging schedule in January and February the following year to do that.
The defending champions play Chelsea at home, Arsenal away, Newcastle at home, Liverpool at home, and Spurs away between January 25 and February 25. In addition to the FA Cup fourth-round tie and the second leg of a League Cup semifinal, should they advance, the Blues will likely have to play at least one more game between their matchups against Arsenal and Newcastle.
And there’s the recently enlarged Champions League to think about. Their last group encounter will take place in between league games against Chelsea and Arsenal as part of a group stage that includes two more matches and lasts until the end of January.
That might take place at home against Shamrock Rovers, but because of modifications to the competition, it might also involve a trip to the Bernabeu, since City is required to play two games against clubs that are in the same group as them for first place. In addition, they will need to schedule a two-leg play-off to advance to the last-16 before the matches between Newcastle and Liverpool if they do not finish the group stages in the top eight slots, which is probably unlikely but still possible.
The number of trophies that City win might be determined by ten games spread over 32 days; their comparatively easy Premier League run-in will mean nothing if they are unable to capitalize on it. The players are occupied with international competitions, but City employees need to start thinking ahead and getting ready for this challenging stretch of the season.
It has been on the cards for a while, as Guardiola has previously voiced his disapproval of the competition conflicts that resulted from packing the schedule with additional games. “We play in the Champions League the same week as the Carabao Cup the following season. “How will we play?” he asked. “Will we compete in the Carabao Cup against the Elite Development Squad?
“We head to the Club World Cup after the upcoming season. We have a great deal of wealth and status, and we are pleased. However, how many days do I give the players off? Take two weeks’ vacation before resuming the season. It cannot continue.”
The fact that City has such a challenging stretch of league games right before the Champions League play-offs has highlighted the necessity for them to be more prepared than ever, even if that means fielding a larger squad than normal, as they get ready for a schedule that will never be seen again.