Pep Guardiola
March 2026
Pep Guardiola said fatigue and modern football demands were behind his decision to cancel Manchester City’s training session the day before facing Real Madrid. The manager made the unusual call despite City needing a huge comeback after losing the first leg 3-0. Guardiola pointed to late-night travel from Madrid and the weekend draw at West Ham as key reasons for giving players extra rest. He also argued that training no longer improves much at this stage of the season, noting City had done the same before wins over Borussia Dortmund and Fulham.