Ilkay Gundogan says the Manchester City players should not be blamed for their disappointing 1-1 stalemate with West Brom on Tuesday.
Gundogan claims the gruesome fixture schedule is to blame for City’s 1-1 draw with West Brom at the Etihad.
In the Premier League, the festive period is synonymous with lots of games and it’s become something to look forward to for the fans.
For players, it could well be the opposite especially in a time where there was little to no pre-season rest.
Premier League sides with European commitments would have played 11 games in 31 days by the end of December and Gundogan says it is getting to the City players.
The German midfielder grabbed a goal for City against West Brom but saw his strike ruled out by a Ruben Dias own goal not long after.
Guardiola aired his frustrations after the match and Gundogan has now linked his side’s recent struggles to fatigue from the fixture list.
“We are human beings, not machines, we struggle as well,” he told BBC Sport.
Gundogan added: “We know we could have played better but it feels like it was in the details today. We deserved better, we had the chances. I don’t know what to say, it’s disappointing to get one point, we must win these kind of games.”
City travel to St Marys to take on Southampton on Saturday before an EFL quarter-final clash against Arsenal the following Tuesday.
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