After the 4-0 victory of Man City against Wolves away in the Premier League match 2025/26, Pep Guardiola was still unhappy. The face of the Spanish military leader is still difficult, dissatisfied in the following press conference. So, is there anything that makes the home team, despite the big victory, Pep is still unhappy?
The main striker Ering Haaland opened fire in the first match of the new season, combining well with the attacking links that landed on Etihad this season. Two rookies Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki shine brightly. Newly arrived people include goalkeeper James Trafford and left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri have just launched Man City.
However, at a press conference after a 4-0 victory in Molineux, Pep reaffirmed that he was still dissatisfied with his size. Not because of the overall play of the Green Man, the Spanish strategist complained because the squad was in excess of many personnel.
In addition to the aforementioned rookie, Man City also signed a contract with the Foundation goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli from Chelsea, as well as midfielder Sverre Nypan, who was about to move to Middlesbrough on loan. Some players left the club this summer.
Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker both joined Napoli and Burnley, and James Mcatee also signed a contract with Nottingham. Jack Greealish has come to Everton on loan, while Vitor Reis will spend the 2025/26 season to wear Girona. Despite the departure of many players, Guardiola still confirmed that the squad is still too bulky and needs to reduce personnel before the transfer ends on September 1.
“Too much. Really too many people. On the bench, we have Nathan (Ake) and Gundo (Ilkay Gundogan). I like a squad with depth to compete in all competitions, but I don't want to leave players in home. That is not very good.
You cannot create a positive atmosphere to play when too many players have to sit on the bench. The club knows this from last season, but the current situation is still the same. In the next 2 weeks, the Board of Directors will talk to the player and the representative to find the solution, ”Guardiola confirmed after the match against Wolves when asked about the issue of excess personnel at Man City.
That is not to mention the fact that Phil Foden, Rodri, Mateo Kovacic, Josko Gvardiol and Savinho are all absent in the match last night due to injury. Some of the players in the first City team are still in a state of having to leave. Specifically, Nottingham is negotiating to sign contracts with Rico Lewis, while Tottenham Hotspur also approached Savinho.
This is not the first time Guardiola lamented the size of the home team. “We have a long list, so many players. We cannot play with 26 or 27 players this season because there will be many people who do not play. Step by step, maybe a few players have to leave,” Pep confirmed on June 22.
Goalkeeper Ederson also missed the match against Wolves because he was sick in the context of his future at Etihad Stadium was still not sure after Trafford joined the club. Pep himself also emphasized that, if Ederson wanted to leave because he was no longer happy at Man City, he could completely leave and “everything depends on the decision of the club's leadership”.
“If the player wants to leave, he should leave but must comply with the club's terms. It will not mean anything if he is not happy here, but the final decision and the way of implementing the agreement belongs to the leadership of the team, so I don't know what will happen in the next two weeks,” Pep added.
It seems that not only has to push more players away, but finding a way to use more stars to attack the starting lineup becomes a real challenge for Pep and his colleagues. Before Wolves, Marroush and Cherki had to sit on the bench, while Foden was not physically enough to participate.
Pep's Man City will return to Etihad next weekend to welcome Tottenham, the team has just won an impressive 3-0 victory over Burnley in the first round, within the second round of the Premier League this season.
