January 25 – Amid ongoing and intensifying speculation over a European Super League, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has called for a reduction in the number of clubs in the Premier League and English Football League to improve the quality of competition.
Cutting the number of Premier League fixtures would give more space for extra European matches and Guardiola says there has to be quality over quantity even though reducing the English top flight from 20 member teams has always been strongly opposed.
Guardiola has been especially vocal this season about the congested fixture list and the negative impact that has had on the number of injuries to players.
“What we should do is make every league in Europe stronger than what it is: less teams, better championships, better League One, better League Two, better Premier League with less teams in every competition,” he said. “Go for quality over quantity.”
“You have to make a super Premier League … for that you have to reduce teams. But we can’t kill lower divisions or the Premier League.”
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