Pep Guardiola launches scathing attack of ICC organisers over cancellation of Manchester City's clash with United
The Chinese capital suffered from some of the most torrential rainfall in two decades this week
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Your support makes all the difference.Pep Guardiola has criticised the International Champions Cup organisers after the Manchester derby between City and United in Beijing was cancelled with just six hours’ notice.
The Chinese capital suffered from some of the most torrential rainfall and sweltering conditions in two decades forcing Jose Mourinho, Guardiola’s opposite number, to conduct a press conference outside because of a failed air conditioning unit.
Despite the intense conditions in the surrounding areas at the Bird’s Nest Stadium, the venue of the 2008 Olympics, City’s new Catalan coach insists the match against Manchester United could have gone ahead if there was a better pitch.
“They are looking for hotels, inviting players, but at the end, if the pitch is not good enough, all that doesn’t matter,” the City manager said. “For them, the pitch doesn’t matter, but for us it’s the most important thing.
“It is a good lesson for the organisers. Our grounds man was there for ten days to try to take care of the pitch. It wasn’t [because of] the rain. It was just the state of the pitch. It was unacceptable.
“We have played in really bad conditions in our careers, but that pitch two days ago was impossible to play on. The pitch [turf] would have moved two metres. Believe me, it was the right decision not to play on it.
“It wasn’t just about avoiding injury for the players, it was about the fans. They buy tickets to watch players of quality from City and United.”
Meanwhile, defender Gael Clichy has revealed how Guardiola has banned pizza and some varieties of fruit juice to curb the City players’ unhealthy habits ahead of the upcoming Premier League campaign.
“Everything [has been covered by Guardiola,]” Clichy said. “On the field, outside the field, every detail counts.
“For example, you often hear managers say being healthy is really important, but with him, if you’re weight is too high, you’re not training with the team.
“That is the first thing, and you can hear it a lot, but for my part it’s the first time any manager has really done it.
“So we have a few players who are not training with the team yet.
“It’s funny, but we play football and it’s a job and you have to take responsibility for what you do on the field.
“Of course you have quality, but you have to know that if your weight is 60 kilos and you are on 70 kilos, then you cannot play football because you’re going to get injured and get your team in trouble. That’s important.
“All those details are not going to make us win the league, the Champions League, the FA Cup or the Capital One Cup, but we’re going to go in the right direction to try hard and compete for these competitions.”
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