You are wasting your time – Guardiola advises Klopp over fixture pile-up

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has told his Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp that he is wasting his time moaning about Premier League fixture chaos.

Guardiola then joked that coaches could take jobs in the “Maldives League” if they are unhappy with the schedule.

Liverpool took on Villarreal in the Champions League on Wednesday and will play Newcastle United in Saturday’s early kick-off.

Klopp has described the quick turnaround between games as “brutal” and Liverpool saw a request to move the fixture at St James’ Park to Saturday night rejected by the Premier League.

Guardiola, however, says it’s pointless to complain.

“Nothing is going to change. It’s not going to change because the broadcasters are thinking about what they have to do to get more viewers. It’s not about what the players need or what the teams need,” Guardiola told a news conference on Friday.

“Of course I understand it, but what can I say? We are not going to solve the problem, I’ve said many times. Sir Alex Ferguson was the most important icon in the history of English football and he was complaining when he was a teenager.”

City and Liverpool are separated by a point at the top of the table with five games remaining.