Pep Guardiola is looking forward to a quieter January after his all-conquering Manchester City side brought a hectic December to a satisfactory conclusion.
City played nine games in the final month of 2023, including two during their successful trip to Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup.
It ended with a comfortable 2-0 victory over struggling Sheffield United on Saturday, a result which, coming after their midweek win at Everton, put the champions firmly at the forefront of the title picture.
The intensity now slackens considerably in the coming weeks, with just two Premier League fixtures – and three games in total – scheduled for January.
They will face an extra FA Cup tie if they beat Huddersfield in the third round next week but, even so, it is a considerable contrast to the recent programme.
“It is nice,” said City manager Guardiola. “We have 27million games in one month, (now) we have three games in the next month.
“It’s like life – some have a lot and some don’t have anything. It is what it is, but I would say it is welcome. I like it.”
Guardiola has regularly voiced his concerns about scheduling and players’ workloads and would welcome moves by the players’ union to try to limit any further increase of fixtures.
It has been reported that the Professional Footballers’ Association is exploring legal options after the recent European Court of Justice ruling in relation to the Super League appeared to reduce the ability of governing bodies to control the sport’s calendar.
Guardiola said: “Only they, the players, can change something – not just in the Premier League, everywhere.
“I’ve said many times we have too many games. The problem is we have just three weeks’ holiday in the summer and it is impossible to regenerate. Just look at the number of injuries at all the teams.
“The only ones who can change it are the players, if they really decide, to make it a better sport.”
City were far too strong for the Blades as they closed out a memorable year in which they won five trophies with goals in each half from Rodri and Julian Alvarez.
United remain bottom of the table with just nine points, but manager Chris Wilder has seen encouraging signs since his recent return to the club and also plans to take advantage of a lighter January.
Wilder said: “I 100 per cent believe the group will be stronger the next time we turn out in a Premier League game, through time on the training ground, through players returning and we are looking at bringing two or three in.
“Let’s have a go in the second part of the season, similar to how we approached this game. I won’t let that standard drop.
“We have to be a better footballing team, but I am sure we will. My teams have always got stronger in the second part of the season through the work we do.”
Nuno encouraged by Forest's attitude and commitment, despite Man City defeat
Nuno Espirito Santo believes Nottingham Forest will "achieve what we want" by replicating the attitude demonstrated during their defeat by Manchester City.
Forest went down 2-0 against their title-chasing opponents at the City Ground, and remain just a point clear of the relegation zone with three games remaining.
Despite the defeat, the hosts produced a spirited performance against Pep Guardiola's side, while registering 14 shots on goal compared to 11 from the Citizens - meaning they had had more shots in both meetings this season.
Forest face already relegated Sheffield United, Chelsea and fellow strugglers Burnley in their final three games, and Nuno has seen enough to be confident of securing the Reds' Premier League status for another year.
"We played a good game, were compact, organised and had chances," he told Sky Sports. "We did a good job regarding how hard it is to play against Manchester City, and the players gave it a big go.
"We are disappointed with the result, but the encouragement comes from the way we work, how committed we are, and what we have ahead of us. This is more important.
"We stay positive, and we go for the next three games. With this attitude, we will achieve what we want."
Defender Moussa Niakhate echoes his manager's thoughts, adding: "We had three big chances in the first half, but we didn't score. That was the difference.
"Everybody is working hard. We can be proud. If we perform like this in the next three games, we'll stay up."
Napoli 2-2 Roma: Late Abraham header denies wasteful hosts
A wasteful Napoli were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Roma in Serie A, with a late Tammy Abraham header securing a point for the visitors.
The visitors took the lead from the penalty spot a minute before the hour mark, with Paulo Dybala converting after Juan Jesus fouled Sardar Amzoun.
However, Napoli equalised six minutes later through Matias Olivera's deflected shot, and completed the turnaround with their own penalty six minutes from time as Victor Osimhen tucked away after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was felled by Renato Sanches.
The hosts could not hold on, though, and were pegged back with two minutes to go. Substitute Abraham's header from a corner was eventually awarded following a VAR review after he had initially been ruled offside.
Data debrief
Napoli remain eighth in the Serie A table on 50 points, the exact amount they had registered after their opening 19 games of last season.
Though his penalty was not enough to earn Roma victory, Dybala continued his impressive start to 2024, during which he has been involved in the joint-most goals in Serie A with 12 (nine goals, three assists).
Gvardiol: Four more finals for City in title fight
Josko Gvardiol believes there are "four more finals" for Manchester City between them and the Premier League title.
City won 2-0 at Nottingham Forest on Sunday thanks to a first-half header from Gvardiol before a 71st-minute Erling Haaland finish wrapped up the points.
The victory moves City one point behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand. The Gunners played earlier on Sunday, winning 3-2 at north London rivals Tottenham.
The destination of the Premier League title remains in City's hands as they bid for a sixth Premier League title in seven seasons, and Gvardiol acknowledged that every game between now and the end of the season is vital.
"We need to be focused on ourselves," Gvardiol told Sky Sports. "That’s what we are doing.
"There are four more finals to the end so let's do it."
Gvardiol's goal set City on course for victory at the City Ground, nodding home from Kevin De Bruyne's inswinging corner.
It was only Gvardiol's second Premier League goal since arriving at City from RB Leipzig prior to this season.
Gvardiol was somewhat surprised to get on the scoresheet, saying: "I didn't expect to score, but I found myself in a good position.
"It was really tough especially as the pitch was really dry. It's a more than important three points."
Pep Guardiola was delighted to come away with the three points against a Forest side fighting for their lives at the bottom, with the defeat to City leaving Nuno Espirito Santo's men in a perilous position, just a point above the relegation zone with three games to play.
"It was a difficult game," Guardiola told Sky Sports. "They played with bravery. They have fast players with a lot of quality.
"It is a great victory as we had a lot of games behind us. These games are so, so tough at this stage in the Premier League. Now we have a long week to recover."
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