There is no chance that Manchester City will have a large squad for next season | OneFootball

There was a host of talking points to emerge last night as Manchester City beat Bournemouth 3-1 last night. City’s win over Andoni Iraola’s side gives them the initiative in the race to secure Champions League football for next season, which was one. The return of Rodri was a major story to come out of last night’s match. Kevin De Bruyne’s farewell was another major talking point of the night. But a comment from Pep Guardiola reinforced the fact that Manchester City won’t have a large squad for next season.

Pep Guardiola does not want a large squad for next season.

Speaking after last night’s match, Pep Guardiola emphatically made his point about the size of Manchester City’s squad for next season. The City manager said he’d quit as City manager if his wishes weren’t adhered to. When asked the size of Manchester City’s squad for next season, Guardiola said: “I said to the club, ‘I don’t want that!’ I don’t want to put five, six players in the tribune, I don’t want that. I will quit. If they don’t make a short squad, I will not stay.”

“It’s impossible for my soul to put players in the tribune and cannot play. Now it happened because we added four players… Three or four months we could not select 11 players; we didn’t have defenders, so difficult.”

Pep Guardiola further explained: “After people came back and next season it cannot be like that. As a manager, I cannot be training 24 players and when I select there has to be four, five, six staying in Manchester at home because they can’t play. This isn’t going to happen. I said to the club I don’t want that.”

Manchester City will not operate with a big squad, but that isn’t a surprise.

The idea that Manchester City will enter next season with a squad of 25 or 26 players was always a fanciful notion. It was never going to play out that way this summer. Pep Guardiola and the way he made the point last night was emphatic. But it wasn’t a major surprise. Yes, Manchester City do need one or two more players than usual to deal with a heavier schedule. But to bring in 5 or 6 extra players is unrealistic. It’s unrealistic from a PSR and FFP point of view for one.

But Pep Guardiola doesn’t want a mammoth squad to manage. With that comes a separate set of issues outside of the financial ramifications. Squad harmony is the biggest one. A key to Manchester City’s recent success has been the closeness of the City squad. How close the City squad stood out during Kevin De Bruyne’s farewell. It’s a key component of Pep Guardiola’s team. Players will become unhappy if they don’t play. That’s the reality of football. Plus, would Manchester City want players who are content with not playing? I don’t think so. There is also a host of talented young players coming through City’s academy that will need opportunities and can fill gaps due to injury and suspension next season when required.

The way Pep Guardiola made his point last night did stand out. But it isn’t a major surprise. It is a surprise to anyone that believed that Manchester City would enter next season with a mammoth squad. But in reality, that was never going to happen. What Guardiola said after City’s win just further illustrated this point and nothing more.