“Thank you so much!” – Pep Guardiola aims sarcastic dig at Premier League after UEFA Super Cup win

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola made a sarcastic comment on the Premier League schedule after winning the UEFA Super Cup on penalties against Sevilla.

It finished all square between the treble winners and Sevilla after 90 minutes as Cole Palmer cancelled out Youssef En-Nesyri’s brilliant first-half header to send the tie to penalties.

City were perfect from 12 yards on the night as they narrowly edged out (5-4) the Europa League winners to pick up their fourth piece of silverware for the calendar year.

Guardiola’s men made a bright start to their league defence with a 3-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor on Friday, with Erling Haaland scoring a brace and Rodri putting the game to bed.

Four days between the Premier League opener and Wednesday’s tie gave the European champions significant time to prepare for their maiden appearance in the UEFA Super Cup.

Competing on various fronts year after year since his arrival to the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola has been vocal about the little thought given to the welfare of his players when cup ties are sandwiched between league games without adequate rest.

However, this was certainly not the case for the Super Cup and Guardiola aimed a sarcastic dig at the Premier League after seeing City lift a second European title in three months.

“Thank you so much to the Premier League for letting us play on Saturday, and not Sunday or Monday. Thank you so much,” the Manchester City manager said in his post-match press conference.

City host Newcastle United in their first home Premier League game of the season at the weekend, which is expected to see the return of Ruben Dias, who suffered a concussion in training prior to his side’s win over Burnley last week.