Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has told the club that he wants to work with a tighter team next season, because it insults his “soul” to leave so many players in the stands when everyone is fit.
Regular internationals Savinho, Abdukodir Khusanov and Claudio Echeverri could not all find a place in the team on Tuesday while City Bournemouth defeated 3-1. James McATee and Rico Lewis from England also missed it.
City has 28 players in the first team, do not have four that are on loan, and have one of the most valuable squadrons in the world with some media reports that appreciate more than 1.3 billion euros ($ 1.47 billion).
“I told the club … I don't want to leave five or six players in the freezer,” Guardiola told reporters after City had moved to the third with one more match in the campaign.
“I don't want that. I will stop. Make a shorter team, I will stay.”
Despite their huge team, City was confronted at the end of last year with an injury crisis, with the side that went a loss of five games in all games between October-November.
They brought in Omar Marmoush, Vorror Reis, Khusanov and Nico Gonzalez for an amount of more than $ 224 million in the January transfer window to tackle the problem.
But with defenders John Stones and Nathan Ake the only two players currently out with injury, Guardiola said that it was “impossible” for his “soul” to keep telling so many players that they would watch the stands of the stands.
“It's a question for the club. I don't want 24, 25, 26 players if everyone is fit. If I have injuries, we have a few players (of) the academy and we do it,” the manager added.
Guardiola, who extended his contract with City to 2027 in November, will lead the club while they defend their world cup title next month.