Manchester City players are ‘supermen’ – Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola commended his Manchester City squad as “supermen” for maintaining their pursuit of a fourth consecutive league title with a victory over Bournemouth.
Phil Foden’s goal secured a tense 1-0 victory in the Premier League at Vitality Stadium, edging City to within one point of league leaders Liverpool.
Manager Guardiola lauded his team for securing the win despite having played against Brentford midweek.
“I adore my players – they are supermen,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.
“They are so good. Where we come from, for many years, playing every three days – they [Bournemouth] had seven days to prepare for the game and we always have less.
“We demand too much of our players but they respond. I know people say ‘they earn a lot of money’ but it [the schedule] is too much. Honestly.
“But business must go on and it surprises me every time how we are still there. They have an incredible character and are so competitive – even when they are tired, they give extra.
“Our fans have to be so proud of these guys.”
City faced challenges at Bournemouth, securing their second consecutive 1-0 victory following their win over Brentford by the same score on Tuesday, as they strive to become the first team to achieve four consecutive top-flight English titles.
Guardiola stood by his team, who are also vying for back-to-back trebles as they compete in the FA Cup and Champions League.
“The last 10-15 minutes were tough,” he said. “We won the Treble and people think we have to win every game 4-0, 5-0 but that is not the reality and hopefully soon we can have a week off and refresh our minds and legs.”
City next travel to Luton in the FA Cup fifth round on Tuesday (20:00 GMT), before a local derby against Manchester United next weekend followed by the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Copenhagen on 6 March.
It is a hectic schedule, but defender John Stones says City can deal with it.
“We thrive off the pressure,” Stones told Sky Sports.
“It’s just focusing on ourselves – every game is a final for us. They come thick and fast now and we know we have to perform well.”