Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has announced plans to shorten his half-time team talks following the club’s fine for consistently starting matches and returning from half-time late.
The club acknowledged that they violated Premier League regulations 22 times “without good reason,” resulting in a £2.09m fine.
When prompted for his thoughts on the matter, Guardiola remarked, “I just read about it in the news. I will aim to keep my half-time speeches brief.”
He made these comments prior to Saturday’s pre-season match against Chelsea in Columbus.
Due to a limited number of senior players following Euro 2024 and the Copa America, Guardiola has provided ample playing time to Norway’s striker Erling Haaland, whose national team did not qualify for the summer tournament.
Guardiola, who earlier mentioned that Haaland was dealing with “muscle niggles,” stated, “He woke up feeling much better. Hopefully, he can get some minutes on the pitch.”
Guardiola declined to discuss speculation regarding Atletico Madrid’s interest in striker Julian Alvarez, who is currently with Argentina at the Olympics in Paris.
However, he expressed support for Enzo Maresca, who was once part of Guardiola’s coaching staff and is now the manager of Chelsea.
“I’m genuinely happy for him,” Guardiola remarked. “We shared a remarkable year together.
“He is an extraordinary, kind individual, and so is his family.
“He did an exceptional job at Leicester: achieving promotion to the Premier League, and now he is managing one of the top five or six teams in England.
“I wish him all the best because he truly deserves it. Good people deserve the best.
“As a manager, he will find success because he has the core element needed. To be a manager requires a deep, profound belief in one’s philosophy.
“Regardless of the outcomes, I will stick to my principles. That is why he has faith in what he does.
“He will achieve success. I can’t say when, but it will come.”
