Pep Guardiola complaining about player welfare is 'disingenuous'

Pep Guardiola and other managers at top clubs have no right to complain about the packed schedule, according to It's All Kicking Off co-host Ian Ladyman.

After watching his Manchester City side edge past Chelsea 1-0 in their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday, Guardiola launched an astonishing rant during an interview with the BBC, claiming the broadcaster had put his players' welfare at risk by making them play just three days after their Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid.

The Spaniard was furious with the quick turnaround, and even threatened to refuse 'extra' requests from broadcasters unless things changed after his team delivered a tired performance at the national stadium.

But Ladyman has little sympathy for Guardiola, and believes big clubs like City are only harming themselves by agreeing to play so many matches every year.

'City are due to play about 59 games this season, Liverpool played 62 games in that 1976-77 season when they almost won the Treble and that was only one substitute,' Ladyman said on Mail Sport's It's All Kicking Off podcast.

'Times change, it's not always appropriate to make the comparison, but I think it's vaguely relevant there. But what is equally relevant is that City are just being asked to play Wednesday-Saturday. That's just like a normal week. In fact they played 5 o'clock Saturday. Often in the Premier League they're asked to play lunchtime Saturday or at least 3 o'clock. It's not the BBC's fault that the Madrid game went to extra time. They couldn't foresee that.

'Guardiola thinks they should have been allowed to play on Sunday and the Manchester United-Coventry game should have been on the Saturday.

'Well, there's a couple of things to say there first of