Reduce the number of teams in Premier League and EFL to improve quality, says Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has called for a reduction of teams in the Premier League and across England’s other three professional divisions in a bid to “protect” domestic leagues amid the threat of a proposed European Super League.

The potential creation of a European Super League to replace the Champions League that could be worth hundreds of millions of pounds to the continent’s biggest clubs has sparked widespread controversy and been met with fierce opposition from Fifa and Uefa.

Guardiola’s side Manchester City, along with the Premier League’s other “big six” members Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, could form part of such a Super League if the plan ever got off the ground.

Although those clubs would still compete in the Premier League, there are concerns about how a European Super League would impact on domestic competition given the proposals involve playing between 18 and 23 matches each season, a huge increase on the number of games played annually in the Champions League.

Yet Guardiola believes nothing should be implemented that poses a threat to the harmony of domestic competition or further increases the workload of players. And he feels English football should explore the possibility of reducing the numbers of teams across the four top divisions in a bid to boost quality by lessening the demands on players.

“I have the feeling that we cannot lose what the local leagues mean - what it means to play the FA Cup tomorrow, for example, what it means to play in the leagues,” the City manager said when asked about the European Super League proposals ahead of his side’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at Cheltenham Town on Saturday.

“What we should do from my point of view is to make every single league in Europe stronger than it is now. That means less teams. Better Championship, better League One, better League Two, better Premier League - with less teams in every competition. Go to quality over quantity.

“You have to make a super Premier League and for that you have to reduce the teams. But we cannot kill the lower divisions or the Premier League itself. From my point of view, that’s something that is so important. It’s not about other benefits, it’s about how important sentimentally it is having your own league for every country.”

Guardiola said he was yet to read the 18-page European Super League proposals but was certain it would involve “more games” - a move he strongly opposes. City have just lost their star player Kevin De Bruyne for up to six weeks with a torn hamstring and Guardiola has been a vocal critic of the congested fixture schedule.

“I want to protect the local leagues. I like to play against Leicester, Brighton, Burnley, Arsenal, West Bromwich, Liverpool - I love it,” he said. “I like to play against Barcelona, Madrid, Juventus, Monchengladbach too, but I like to play.

“But all I can say is let the players breathe a bit more - to recover better and make a better performance to make more spectators come back when they return to the stadiums. More goals and action to make our sport better. This will only happen if players are fitter and feel more comfortable with the amount of games.

“We cannot extend the year from 365 days so reduce the teams. It will not be possible to reduce competitions. They want the business of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup is so important - I want to play [in them] too. I love to play the Carabao Cup.

“I always compare to the NBA [in America]. The NBA is the most important [basketball] league like the people say the Premier League is the most important [football] league. They play a thousand, million games but they have four months' holiday - two to four months. These guys [in the Premier League] have two weeks after 11 months. In these conditions, and at the end, look at how many injuries all the teams suffer.”

Uefa’s opposition to a proposed Super League was backed on Friday by the European Commission. “There is no scope for the few to distort the universal and diverse nature of European football,” said Margaritis Schinas, the European Commission vice president. “The European way of life is not compatible with European football being reserved for the rich and the powerful.”