If Manchester City’s 100 per cent start is not intimidating enough, the rest of Pep Guardiola’s cavalry are coming over the hill for the big fixtures ahead.
Erling Haaland almost beat Brentford on his own with two sublime finishes on Saturday, but the manager was equally glad about first starts of the season for Kyle Walker, John Stones and Ilkay Gundogan, the return of Rodri as a half-time substitute and Phil Foden being back on the bench after illness.
All are available for the Champions League opener against Inter Milan on Wednesday and Sunday’s Premier League showdown against Arsenal.
City play six times in 18 days before the next international break and Guardiola’s increased options do not bode well for rivals.
Though Haaland’s nine goals in four games this season — more than every team not named Manchester City — have seen off Chelsea, Ipswich, West Ham and Brentford, who scored after 22 seconds through Yoane Wissa, the manager is thrilled to have a bigger talent pool available, including Rodri, out injured since winning the Euros with Spain.
Erling Haaland almost beat Brentford on his own with two sublime finishes at the Etihad
Rodri returned to action as a half-time substitute to give City a boost ahead of a busy week
‘Rodri came in and played really good,’ nodded Guardiola (right). ‘He is so important. Gundo, Kyle and John had extra minutes. Phil has not had many training sessions but I am delighted he is back. We need him desperately.
‘We are going to play the best team in Italy by a big margin and after we will play Arsenal, the best contender
we have had in the last two seasons. And then Tuesday-Sunday-Tuesday, more games.
‘It is what it is. We have to adapt and go. We need to rotate.’
Off the field, City will be occupied by the hearing that starts today into the club’s 115 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules.
But Guardiola will perhaps be more immediately concerned by the fixture congestion brought about by an expanded Champions League, then the Club World Cup next summer.
Pep Guardiola will perhaps be more immediately concerned by the fixture congestion
‘It’s so tough,’ said Guardiola. ‘You don’t just think about this season but also next season. Let’s say we go to the final of the Club World Cup and the Community Shield might be three weeks after.
‘When do we do holidays? There are no breaks in winter. If we are lucky we get two weeks and then we need to be back into next season. There’s no end to it. You need to take some games away. You can’t just keep adding game after game and assume everything will be like it was.’