Pep Guardiola aims to use rare free midweeks to refresh his tired Manchester City squad after a 3-0 win over Fulham in the Premier League

PEP Guardiola is planning to give his “exhausted” Manchester City stars a vital rest ahead of the Premier League title run-in. The manager’s comments followed a commanding 3-0 victory over Fulham on Wednesday.

City closed the gap on leaders Arsenal to three points with the win at the Etihad Stadium. Goals from Antoine Semenyo, Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland in a dominant 15-minute first-half spell sealed the three points.

Guardiola hailed the performance as “one of the best of the season”, especially after the emotional high of Sunday’s dramatic late win at Liverpool. He emphasised the importance of managing his squad’s energy, substituting key players early in the second half.

“Bernardo was exhausted, Rodri was exhausted,” Guardiola revealed. “He (Rodri) didn’t lose one ball and then in the second half he lost 10 balls.”

The manager highlighted an upcoming break in the schedule as crucial for recovery. After an FA Cup tie against Salford City on Saturday, City have two free midweeks before their next Premier League fixtures.

“Now we have Salford then we need to not see each other and rest,” Guardiola said. “We have an incredibly tough schedule, like Arsenal, and we will have a midweek off.”

Guardiola stressed the physical toll of competing in four competitions amid injury problems. He indicated his players need several days of complete rest to recharge for the final push.

 The Sun Malaysia