Pep Guardiola believes changes to gruelling playing schedules will only happen when players themselves take action.
The Manchester City boss pointed to the example of the Spain’s women’s team and the changes that have occurred at the country’s football federation after its now-former president Luis Rubiales kissed forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the medal ceremony after they won the World Cup in August.
At his press conference ahead of City’s Premier League trip to Wolves on Saturday, Guardiola was asked about comments made by Burnley manager Vincent Kompany, his former captain, who said appearances within a season should be capped for top players.
Guardiola said: “I would say every idea that you reduce a little bit the amount of games for the players would be nice. But there’s not going to be change.
“There is only one solution to change something – the players decide for themselves, (to say), ‘Stop, we have to change something’. And after, FIFA and UEFA will maybe react a little bit.
“This business, the show must go on. Without Pep? Keep going. But without the players, the show will not go on, that’s for sure. So it depends on them, they decide if they accept.
“Look what happened in Spain with the women’s team. The players decided they had to change something and they changed it. They did it. The best legacy they have done is that.
“The women’s team in Spain did it. I don’t know (if), in world football, the men’s, they are able to do it.”
He added: “When we have a break it has to be a proper break. This is my point of view.
“I always use the example of the NBA. They play 80 games in a few months but then have three or four months off. You can regenerate. Then after, full (on).
“The problem here is it is full (on) and after we have three weeks off. For me it’s a lot. But it’s my personal opinion.
“I don’t want to influence, because I’m not going to influence anyone. I think it has to be the players. If the players want to change something, they are the only ones who can do it.”
Saturday’s match at Molineux could see Matheus Nunes face his old club after leaving Wolves to join City last month.
It was reported at the time that Nunes had stopped training with the midlands outfit ahead of the move, but Guardiola said on Friday: “When I spoke to him…he said to me, ‘I never, never, ever said I’m not going to train’.”
On the reception Nunes might receive from the crowd on Saturday, Guardiola added: “Hopefully he is strong to accept the situation.”
Guardiola was also asked for his thoughts on the allegations surrounding his old club Barcelona.
In March, Spanish prosecutors filed a complaint and UEFA announced it was opening an investigation into Barca after it was reported the club had made payments to companies owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spain’s referees committee, between 2001 and 2018.
Police on Thursday searched the headquarters of the committee in relation to the case. Barcelona deny any wrongdoing.
Guardiola, who was Barcelona boss from 2008 to 2012, said: “Wait and see…let the justice, the process (run).
“So far what I heard…I didn’t see or read, because I’m out of that, but I didn’t see Barcelona really, really, really, really pay a referee to take a benefit. I didn’t see that, I didn’t read it.
“That’s why I want to wait before have an opinion, because Barcelona is going to defend what they have to do, and we will see.
“What I’m pretty sure is when Barcelona won, it was because they were better than the opponents. That I’m pretty convinced about right now – in our day.
“We won because we were far better than our rivals. And when they were not, they don’t win, they lose. But justice will decide what really happened.”
Newcastle 'determined to finish on a high' at Brentford, Howe insists
Eddie Howe says Newcastle United are "determined to finish on a high" when they travel to Brentford on the final day.
The Magpies, who are seventh in the Premier League, travel to the Gtech Community Stadium still in the hunt to secure European football for a second successive season.
Howe's side trail sixth-place Chelsea by three points but, boasting a superior goal difference, can leapfrog the Blues if they beat Brentford and Mauricio Pochettino's men lose at home to Bournemouth.
The Newcastle head coach knows their destiny is not in their hands, but urged his players to be ready to pounce.
"It's a big last day for us, there's no denying that," he told reporters during his pre-match press conference. "We go into game knowing we have to do our part, which is win the game.
"That is no mean feat, it's going to be a tough game, and then we're in the hands of other clubs.
"The players are determined to finish on a high. We could have got more from the last two games and we didn't.
"We have to do everything we can to do our part. What we don't want to do is for the other teams to make a mistake and we're not there to capitalise on it."
Meanwhile 16th-place Brentford, who can climb to 15th by bettering Everton's result at title-chasing Arsenal, are set to finish in the bottom six - their lowest final position in the Premier League.
Although Thomas Frank admits his sights are set on achieving bigger and better with the Bees, the head coach insists it has been a fruitful campaign with the club's top-flight status assured for another year at least.
"This season has been a good success," he said. "Every year you are in the Premier League is a success if you are a club of our stature. I just hate saying that because we want so much more.
"We want to be an asset to the league, we want to dream big and we want to do something special. But I am an optimistic person, I am positive, and I believe so much in this club.
"The culture is good. There's a good atmosphere. We are pulling in the same direction, we are aligned."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Brentford - Bryan Mbeumo
Mbeumo has been directly involved in more goals than any other Brentford player in the Premier League this season with 15 (nine goals, six assists).
That is despite the winger playing just 24 of the Bees' 37 matches during the campaign.
Newcastle United - Anthony Gordon
Gordon has had a hand in two goals (one goal, one assist) in Newcastle's last two away games, taking his overall tally of direct goal involvements for the season to 21 (11 goals, 10 assists).
With Alexander Isak also boasting 21 involvements (20 goals, one assist), it marks the first time two Magpies players have reached that mark in a Premier League campaign since 1996-97, when Alan Shearer (25 goals, seven assists) and Les Ferdinand (16 goals, eight assists) achieved the feat.
MATCH PREDICTION: NEWCASTLE UNITED
Newcastle have prevailed in each of the last four meetings between the sides, and are unbeaten in all five Premier League encounters.
Brentford have only faced Crystal Palace (six) more in the competition without ever winning than against the Magpies (five).
Newcastle have lost their final league game in just one of the last nine seasons (winning seven, drawing one), with that sole defeat coming against champions Liverpool in 2019-20.
The Magpies are also unbeaten on each of the last six occasions they have finished a league season in London (winning five, drawing one).
You must go back to a 3-2 reverse at Tottenham on the final day of the 1972-73 campaign for their last such defeat.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Brentford - 37%
Newcastle United - 34.9%
Draw - 28.1%
Klopp reflects on 'special' Liverpool stint as tenure draws to a close
Jurgen Klopp reflected on his "special" stint in charge of Liverpool ahead of his final game on Sunday.
Klopp will manage Liverpool for the last time when the Reds take on Wolves in their final Premier League match of the season.
Having taken over in 2015, Klopp has led Liverpool to their maiden Premier League title, a Champions League crown, the FA Cup, multiple EFL Cups, as well as the Super Cup and Club World Cup titles.
While this season's Premier League title challenge ultimately fizzled out, Klopp used his programme notes to laud his players and staff for their efforts.
He wrote: "If space allowed I could write name after name of people who I need to thank but there has never been a match programme of this size, so I will have to be more general. I could not be more appreciative of the players past and present who have served this club in the nine years that I have been here.
"What they have achieved in that time is special, not just in terms of the moments they have created and the success they have had, but also in the way they have underlined what it is to represent LFC.
"This will be the final time that we will see two of them – Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara – at Anfield and I know they will be given the send-off that they deserve.
"You do not need me to tell you what they have achieved as individuals, you have experienced it all at first hand and as with others who have left us in recent seasons, they have more than made their mark on this club during a period which I think has been memorable for all of us.
"This will also be the end of an era for several members of our coaching and backroom staff who will also move on. To put it simply, I could not have more appreciation for the work that has been done by Pep Lijnders, Peter Krawietz, Vitor Matos, John Achterberg, Jack Robinson, Andreas Kornmayer, Andreas Schlumberger and Ray Haughan.
"The big positive for Liverpool is that no matter who is leaving, the club is still in a very, very good place. This season we aimed for the moon and ended up in the stars which is never too bad and the players and staff who are remaining are top, top class.
"Yes, they will have new leadership before too long but this is a club that is ready to take the journey in a new and exciting direction, not one that is ready for the journey to come to an end."
Feyenoord coach Arne Slot confirmed on Friday that he would be replacing Klopp.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Liverpool - Mohamed Salah
Salah is set to make his 250th Premier League appearance for Liverpool in this match. The Egyptian already has the second-highest combined goals and assists tally by any player in their first 250 appearances for a single club in the competition (223 – 155 goals, 68 assists), behind only Thierry Henry for Arsenal (243 – 171 goals, 72 assists).
Wolves - Hwang Hee-chan
No Wolves player has scored more Premier League goals this season than Hwang Hee-chan (12). He gave his side the lead in the reverse fixture against Liverpool at Molineux – the last Wolves player to score home and away against the Reds in a league campaign was John Richards in 1972-73.
MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN
Liverpool have conceded at least once in each of their last 10 Premier League home games. They last had a longer run without a league clean sheet at home between January and November 1954, a run of 17 games that included relegation to the second division.
Between Christmas Eve and March 9, only the current top three sides earned more points in the Premier League than Wolves (22 – W7 D1 L3). Since then, only Sheffield United (two) have won fewer points than Gary O’Neil's side (five), with Wolves winning just one of their last nine (D2 L6).
Wolves have lost eight and won just one of their nine Premier League games on MD38. Their win rate of 11 per cent on the final day is the lowest of any side currently in the competition, while their current run of losing seven consecutive such games is the joint-longest in English top-flight history.
Liverpool have won 13 of their last 14 Premier League meetings with Wolves, with the exception being a 3-0 loss at Molineux in February last season.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Liverpool - 65.6%
Wolves - 12.7%
Draw - 21.7%
Man City star Foden scoops Premier League Player of the Year award
Phil Foden has been named the Premier League's Player of the Year, having been sensational for Manchester City this season.
Foden has scored 17 goals and provided a further eight assists in the top flight in 2023-24.
The 23-year-old has been pivotal in City's quest to win an unprecedented fourth Premier League title.
Pep Guaridola's team head into their final game of the season, in which they face West Ham at home, needing a win to guarantee the crown.
Only six players have bettered Foden's goal tally, with the attacker enjoying his most profitable scoring season for City.
Foden's 17 goals have come from an expected goals figure of 10, suggesting his finishing has been way above what would have been anticipated based on the quality of chances he has had.
The England international, meanwhile, has had 99 shots, and leads City's squad for chances created (68).
"To win this award is an achievement that I am extremely proud of," Foden told Man City's official website.
"Overall, I've been very happy with the way I have played this season and really pleased that I have been able to contribute with the goals and assists throughout the season.
"I'd like to thank all of the City staff, coaches and especially my teammates because without them this wouldn’t be possible.
"And I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who voted for me as the award means a lot."
It is the fifth season in a row that a City player has won the award, with Kevin De Bruyne (2019-20, 2021-22), Ruben Dias (2020-21) and Erling Haaland (2022-23) having scooped it previously.
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