Pep Guardiola makes startling Erling Haaland admission ahead of Leeds United clash
Leeds United head to the Etihad for a massive Premier League game on Saturday.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admits he cannot rely on Erling Haaland to play every minute ahead of his side’s weekend meeting with Leeds United.
Guardiola surprisingly made 10 changes for City’s 2-0 Champions League defeat at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, with Haaland one of several notable starting-XI absentees. The red-hot Norwegian was introduced around the hour mark but his side were already two goals down by that point.
Haaland has already played the equivalent of 20 full games for club and country this season, more than anyone else at the Etihad. And despite being City’s dominant source of goals, Guardiola admits his striker will need a rest every now and then - unfortunately for Leeds, that rest came during the week.
"Erling cannot sustain all the 95 minutes, we need fresh legs and let's go and after that we will have the tempo that we want to do,” Guardiola told the Manchester Evening News. “Second half, the guys who play a lot of minutes - Erling played 90 minutes and 90 minutes for Norway and celebrated afterwards, then Newcastle - I thought quality time rather than time in the beginning.
"The next games we have [Leeds], Fulham, Sunderland, Madrid - a lot of games together. We cannot play Erling all the time for 95 minutes. Omar [Marmoush] is really important for us, for his movements and goals. But it was too much. It was the first time in my life I've done it and it was too much. I've realised."
Pep Guardiola on Man City rotation ahead of Leeds United
Tuesday’s wholesale Champions League rotation is unlikely to have gone down well in Leeds, given City’s most influential players have all now been rested ahead of Saturday’s Premier League meeting. Guardiola’s side have also now lost their last two games against Newcastle United and Leverkusen, which will either stunt momentum or spark a response this weekend.
"Too many changes,” Guardiola admitted of the midweek defeat. “I always had the belief of the long season and everyone had to be involved but maybe it was too much. Always I like to be too nice and involve everyone because I have the feeling after the international break there are games every three or four days, hopefully, if you are not out of the FA Cup or Carabao and there is no human being who can sustain that.
"We are at home, in a good position in the Champions League, let's try and we have weapons on the bench in the second half. It didn't work and we have to accept it. Now it's Leeds and we have still three [Champions League] games and we will see what happens."
Leeds will head to the Etihad on Sunday having spent a week in the Premier League relegation zone following last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa - their fifth loss in six games. The Whites are waiting on the availability of Anton Stach, who was forced off with a head injury during that game.