Pep Guardiola warnings to FIFA and UEFA mean Man City may have to change transfer strategy

Barely an hour had passed since Manchester City had just won the Champions League and Pep Guardiola was reminding interviewers of a familiar bugbear.

"I don't have any energy to think about next season, it's impossible," he said on the Ataturk Stadium pitch. "We need a break, it's too long."

When he arrived for his post-match press conference shortly after, Guardiola was issuing a similar complaint to FIFA and UEFA, saying: "Our players have international games now. UEFA and FIFA, think about it. The Premier League finished two or three weeks ago, but now people have to come back. It's too much."

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Guardiola is currently back in Catalonia getting some much-earned rest ahead of the treble defence, with seven competitions to compete in, plus a fortnight in Japan and South Korea on tour. In the manager's absence, City have signed Mateo Kovacic to take Ilkay Gundogan's place in the squad, while RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol could well follow.

The current state of City's transfer dealings will depend heavily on which players leave, with a number rumoured to be wanted by other clubs, or wanting to leave. Contrary to lazy stereotypes, City don't spend drastically more than their rivals, and they don't have two starting XI's of world-class players.

Last season, City ended the season with 19 senior outfielders, two academy graduates, and a third goalkeeper. That remains the current makeup of the squad, plus the uncertain future of Joao Cancelo. It seems that Guardiola likes a smaller squad, made up of versatile players who can play multiple positions rather than multiple players who can play in each position.

When Guardiola looks at the schedule for City over