Pep Guardiola has stated that Manchester City‘s medical staff carried out 71 physiotherapy treatments on his players after the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid.
The gruelling match at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano took its toll on the City players, with Guardiola naming a weakened side for the FA Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool.
“Our physios made 71 treatments in the space between Atletico Madrid and the semi-final against Liverpool,” Guardiola said.
“The full figure is 71, it’s true. I saw the people there. The doctor came to me. But how? It’s not for one game, it’s after three ‘finals’ against Atletico and Liverpool.
“They came to me because [that number] was more than normal – in the hotel after the Atletico game, in the morning when we arrived in the hotel, before the training session, after the training session, the day of the game.
“And it was not just one or two players, it was a lot. But it wasn’t just that Atletico game – before that it was Liverpool, before that Atletico [the first leg]. It was so demanding.
The Manchester City coach added that there was no time for a proper training session before the semi-final against Liverpool.
“We didn’t have time for one proper training session before the semi-final, just videos,” Guardiola stated.
“At Millwall on Friday [where City trained], we had six massage tables on the pitch, doing massages, watching the guys who didn’t play in Madrid having a training session.”
Ruben Dias injury news
Guardiola went on to state that Ruben Dias is set to return from his lengthy absence due to a hamstring injury.
“Injuries can happen, but the doctors told me between six and eight weeks,” he confirmed.
“Now it’s seven. We are in this margin. He’s training a lot now and he feels much better.”
Marca
