FIFA Club World Cup: Pep Guardiola reacts to ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp's opinions on the tournament

When it comes to managing the workloads of modern day footballers, Pep Guardiola is known to not mince his words. Having been an ardent advocate of trimming the football calendar, Manchester City's boss has now gone on record stating that the ongoing Club World Cup could potentially affect his club's chances in the upcoming season. This statement comes after ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp's statements earlier this week when the German termed the Club World Cup as the 'worst idea ever'.

 

The former Liverpool boss ended his nine-year stint with the English club in January 2025, subsequently taking up the role of Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull.

 

Speaking to the press after Manchester City's progression to the round of 16, Guardiola sounded worried while speaking about the latest format of the tournament that now sees 32 teams participating in the round-robin stage. It means an elongated tournament and in what is an already packed footballing calendar, adds scope for higher fatigue levels to players. However, the seasoned Spaniard also chose to look at the positive side of things.

 

"I know where his (Klopp's) idea comes from. We fought a lot [together] when we went to the UEFA meetings [or] especially when we discussed the Premier League calendar, about how to add more quality to it. [We discussed] giving the managers and players more rest. So his comments [on the Club World Cup] didn’t surprise me a lot. I understand him. I respect him. I’ve had an incredible relationship with Jurgen for many years as rivals," said Guardiola while addressing the media.

 

"Now he’s stepped back from that position [as a manager] and I understand his argument, because I would defend his argument as well. At the same time, as managers we are in a job. We follow the Fifa, Uefa, Premier League rules."

 

"Many, many teams complain about these competitions because they are not here, otherwise they might love being here. They would have their media and supporters here, and there would be income to be here, and they would be happy to be here. Of course, it’s not an ideal situation for the manager. Would I love to have two months to prepare for next season? Yes. Would I love to be refreshed for next season? Yes. But it is what it is."

 

After winning four Premier League titles in a row, Manchester City endured a lukewarm 2024-25 season where they finish third. A huge dip mid-season saw them experience an unusually long losing streak across competitions but Pep's side found their mojo towards the end to seal a Champions League spot. The 2025-26 EPL season kicks-off on 16th August 2025 with City slated to start their campaign against Wolves in an away fixture.

 

In previous seasons, Guardiola has often spoken about the scheduling overload that is a result of the crammed international fixtures overlapping the heavily loaded club matches, thereby making workload management a tough ask for modern day managers and clubs. Even without the Club World Cup, Guardiola has felt the need for a trim in the footballing calendar and now with this tournament also in the mix, 2025-26 could be a gruelling one.

 

“I try not to think about it, otherwise I will be so anxious. We will rest the time the Premier League allows us to. And game by game, month by month, we will see. And maybe in November, December, January, ask me, Pep. I may say: ‘So listen, we are a disaster. We are exhausted. The World Cup destroyed us.’ I don’t know, but it’s the first time in our life that that’s happened [32-team CWC]. So we will see.

 

“So I try to be relaxed, to enjoy the days here, the good vibes that we have, the competition, to try to win it. And the most important thing, to recover, to find or re-find ourselves what we were. This is my main target in this tournament.”

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