Pep Guardiola has told elite soccer players that they are the only ones who can force change in the face of a growing dispute over the number of games they are being asked to play.

The push for a more favourable match schedule must come from the players, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday, three days after his midfielder Rodri warned that players could be close to strike action over their increased workload.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Arsenal (kick-off 16:30 BST). Here are the key lines from his news conference:

Guardiola seguramente sabe que nunca encontrará otro club de élite en Europa como el City. Con el apoyo de la familia real de Abu Dabi ha podido construir el equipo que quiso, con un gasto excepcional para armar un equipo que ha dominado la Liga Premier como nadie lo había hecho.

Pep Guardiola has told elite soccer players they are the only ones who can force change in a growing dispute over the number of games they are being asked to play. Manchester City midfielder Rodri says players are close to going on strike because of an increasingly congested schedule that will be added to next year by an expanded Club World Cup in the United States.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has responded to questions over whether he has a future in Italian football beyond his stay at the Etihad Stadium.The Catalan tactician is into the final year of

Pep Guardiola admits he feels ‘so sorry’ for Martin Odegaard with the Arsenal captain set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Mikel Arteta confirmed earlier this week that his skipper’s ankle injury was ‘significant’ and it is reported that he will be in the treatment room for the next eight weeks.

Manchester City take on title rivals Arsenal on Sunday having had an extra day’s rest after the Gunners’ Thursday fixture in Europe.