Pep Guardiola summed up Manchester City’s issues in one perfect answer to a question, and the answer is simple: The schedule.

Pep Guardiola speaking in his pre-match press conference before facing Manchester United on Sunday:

“I said one month ago it should happen. And for it should happen, for one reason: the schedule, for the injuries.

“I know what would happen with all the players there. With Rodri there, with muscular problem, but being there, with Phil [Foden] there, with Oscar [Bobb] there, with the four central defender there. I don’t know the position [in the table] would be; I imagine what would be. I cannot prove it, right? Nobody knows it, what would happen. But I think we’ll be, I think better team. Everybody knows, I think, no, just for the fact what happen in the past. But the reality is completely the opposite. Sometimes some things happen.

[…] “All the managers depends on the quality of the players. I’m not special; I didn’t feel special before. Not now, but I don’t feel bad now because always [I’m conscious of the football player], did business belong to the players, and we are here to support them. But now for the problems we have with this schedule, crazy one.

“Why is Rodri injured? Played 75 games last season. When we finished our holiday, he was at the Euro to win the Euro with Spain and injured with Spain and come back in one game, two games. Do you know being fresh is ACL? No, I promise. Strong as Rodri, but come back tired, not on the top. But I need it against Inter; I need it against Arsenal, not being the top. You are not strong enough, and unfortunately, it happened.

“The reason why: the schedule.

“Give you one month and a half, two-month holidays, give, give to Rodri, two-month holidays after Euros, like the NBA, three months, they have four months they have, tell it. It’ll be perfect, and you have to play eighty games if you want, but give three month. But next season, next season Manchester City, or Chelsea already have the squad, but they have to be 30 players, 25, 30. And how you sustain the club that’s economical financially? We don’t have revenue next season; impossible, impossible. Why we have a revenue this season, we sell a lot of players, the academy especially a lot, and Julian [Alvarez], and the other ones, a lot. Combine the financial and the demands for the team, it’s tough. We would like to have 70, 80, 90 players; financially, the conductor for the team is perfect today.

“Today the amount of football is impossible, impossible. Even with 22, 23-year-olds, young ones.

“And one team will say, “Ah, no, because we work differently; we were perfect in the preparation, physical preparation. No, because our nutritionists are more special than the other clubs. No, because our beds are (chef’s kiss gesture), top to rest.” You see that, next year, seven injuries, doing the same.

“The schedule, don’t look at it another way, impossible.”

When a team like Manchester City is forced to play every two to three days for months on end, playing the same eleven players every game is a bit of an unsolvable issue.