Pep Guardiola says he will be told to ‘shut up’ if he speaks to the Premier League about TV scheduling

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted that he would be told to ‘shut up’ by football broadcasters if he questioned them on fixture scheduling.

The latest words from the Manchester City manager come at arguably the busiest time for the reigning Treble winners, as they take on a number of high-profile fixtures in a single month across a number of competitions.

March has gotten off to the perfect start for Guardiola and his City stars, recording a statement win in the FA Cup fifth round over Luton Town, derby day success over Manchester United, and finishing the job in the UEFA Champions League last-16 to reach the quarter-finals.

But the big games just keep on coming for Manchester City in their pursuit of an unprecedented back-to-back Treble, as they travel to Anfield to take on Premier League title rivals Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

Speaking to the media after Manchester City’s 3-1 win over FC Copenhagen at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night, Pep Guardiola insisted that broadcasters would tell him to ‘shut up’ if he questioned them on fixture scheduling.

“Talk about that with the Premier League?! No way! It’s not dependant on the Premier League, it’s dependant on the broadcasters,” Guardiola insisted. “And I know the answer, ‘We pay a lot of money, so shut up!’ So, OK. We will play on Sunday (and then a Wednesday).”

Two more huge fixtures remain on the horizon for Manchester City after their meeting with Liverpool this weekend, as they host Newcastle United in the quarter-finals of the Emirates FA Cup next week.

The month will close out with a clash against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, also at the Etihad Stadium, following the international break and after Manchester City find out their opponents for the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

City’s injury situation also remains relatively favourable for such a pivotal moment in their season, with Jeremy Doku sustaining minor ‘niggles’ and Jack Grealish recovering from a groin problem, while Matheus Nunes will be hoping to overcome a broken finger.