Home » ARTICLES » “We must think of ourselves”: Pep Guardiola refuses to switch Tottenham clash to Etihad in stadium mix-up

“We must think of ourselves”: Pep Guardiola refuses to switch Tottenham clash to Etihad in stadium mix-up

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As per a report by Daily Star, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has refused to help Tottenham Hotspur in resolving the problem surrounding a venue for their Premier League clash in October. Guardiola has told Tottenham that he is opposed to switching the game to Etihad Stadium since it could affect the champion’s run-in this season (h/t Daily Star).

Spurs are struggling to finish their development of White Hart Lane in time for the game on October 28th and are yet to come up with an alternative solution. Wembley will not be an option, given it hosts an NFL game that day and Twickenham has also been ruled out (h/t Daily Star).

One suggested solution would be to shift the fixture to Etihad Stadium, meaning the corresponding fixture, scheduled for April 20th, 2019, will be in London (h/t Daily Star). But that would leave City facing the prospect of finishing the season with four away games out of the last five.

Guardiola has straightforwardly admitted that reversing the fixture from London to Manchester is not an option and he will not agree to it.

“The only thing I can say (is) the last five games, four are away and that’s a problem if we are playing for the Premier League,” Guardiola was quoted by the Daily Star.

“I’m a manager for what happens on the pitch. If they want to suggest something they’ll speak with our CEO (Ferran Soriano).

“We want to help the Premier League. This (delay) can happen because it will be an amazing stadium. Sometimes there are delays. We can adapt, but we will also think of ourselves.”

Read more: Jersey number taken away: Tottenham set to offload £25,000-a-week striker before European deadline

Guardiola’s words are crystal clear that he doesn’t want to switch the fixture and that places extra pressure on Daniel Levy to find a solution as quickly as possible. Let’s hope Levy and our club’s think-tank are able to find a solution to the stadium conundrum.

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