Pep Guardiola open to giving players 'individual holidays' during season to avoid burnout

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says he could adopt Carlo Ancelotti's idea of allowing his players holidays during the season to cope with the pressure of the packed schedule.

Ancelotti, the Real Madrid head coach, has said he is considering giving members of his squad "individual holidays" to avoid burnout.

City and Real are both expected to compete on multiple fronts again this season and are scheduled to play in FIFA's expanded 32-team Club World Cup next summer.

Speaking after City began their pursuit of a fifth consecutive Premier League title with a 2-0 win over Chelsea , Guardiola said: "Last season we could not win at Stamford Bridge so this is good news. The bad news is we still have 65, 70 games left."

Asked about Ancelotti's idea, the Catalan added: "Maybe. I read it and if Carlo says it, maybe we have to pay attention and we follow him. Maybe in some moments, when a player plays a lot, we give him [a chance] to go home, not be in the training session and then come back.

"If [in your head] it doesn't work and you are tired, forget about it. You cannot sustain [performance]. You have to have the desire to be here, to still enjoy playing football, enjoy the training sessions, to be in the locker room together.

"When this happens, you can demand everything. Without it, when they are tired because of season after season, games after games, Euros, World Cups from all of them. The body and the mindset, it's enough. When you have that feeling, go home, we'll play with the academy. We'll play with other players. It doesn't matter. Otherwise, it's not positive."

The top European leagues, including the Premier League, and global players' union Fifpro have launched legal action against FIFA over the increasingly hectic calendar, allegedly the world governing body is guilty of "abuse of dominance" in the game.

You have to have the desire to be here, to still enjoy playing football, enjoy the training sessions, to be in the locker room together

Goals from Erling Haaland, his 91st in 100 appearances for City, and former Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic earned City a hard-fought win in west London on Sunday.

"I really didn't expect it, I know what these guys can do, but the first day and lack of training," Guardiola said. "It is good to start with a win for the confidence.

"We try to prepare the game, we had two or three days to prepare, but we solved this lack of many things with our commitment. Everyone was at their maximum and this was enough.

"You cannot imagine how privileged and fortunate I am to live these experiences with this incredible group of players. They are all friends, their families are all with them most of the time. It's unbelievable for me."

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