Pep Guardiola refused to discuss Manchester City’s upcoming title showdown with Liverpool while he also hit out at the scheduling of last weekend’s Manchester derby.
The Spaniard had plenty of reasons to be cheerful on Wednesday night, with a heavily rotated team swatting aside Copenhagen 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium – and 6-2 on aggregate – to book their passage into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Guardiola made seven changes from the team that beat Manchester United on Sunday but he insists he did not have one eye on a looming trip to Anfield.
Rather, the City boss was keen to stress that his changes were solely a reaction to having to play just three days after the Manchester derby, with Guardiola clearly unhappy with the scheduling.
Asked by beIN SPORTS if the focus now switches to Sunday’s trip to Anfield, Guardiola replied bluntly: ‘On Friday [at the pre-match press conference] I will talk about Liverpool.’
Guardiola was asked a similar question at his post-match press conference and offered another curt response: ‘About Liverpool, next Friday.’
Probed on whether his team selection against Copenhagen had one eye on the Liverpool match, he continued: ‘I wanted fresh legs.
‘If you have the info I had – we had – after the Manchester United game, you would understand the decisions of the team selection today.’
Asked if the derby took a lot out of the players, Guardiola replied: ‘It’s a lot of games, so that’s why.
‘Normally when you play Champions League on Tuesday or Wednesday they allow you to play on Saturday, but this country does not allow you. You’re playing Sunday.
‘So that’s why you have to [rotate]. If we played Saturday then today would be completely different but it was not the case.
‘So that’s why I think the selection today was the best team, with the fresh legs, for the mind, for the desire to compete against Copenhagen.’
He also echoed that in his press conference, saying: ‘I played against Luton in the FA Cup not thinking about United. I play today needing energy, fresh legs.
‘You don’t know how tired and exhausted my players were today, to play against them [Copenhagen] just three days after.
‘Normally in the Champions League, when you play Wednesday, in all the countries in the world – except in this country – they allow you to play on Saturday. We played on Sunday.’
Asked if his side have an advantage playing Liverpool given that the Merseysiders are playing in the Europa League on Thursday night, Guardiola replied: ‘On Friday I will answer you.
‘It’s not personal! I want to see you on Friday at my press conference. Otherwise if I answer all the questions you will not come on Friday!’
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