Man City fixtures should suit Pep Guardiola if they can clear early Arsenal hurdle

Manchester City are set to take centre stage when Premier League football returns and should be more used to the upcoming demands than most

It will be interesting to hear what Manchester City players have to say about the return of the Premier League.

The Blues were the last of the 20 clubs to return to any form of training - starting up again last Saturday - but will be the first team to play again when they take on Arsenal on June 17 in one of two rearranged games across the division that will move every team onto the same number of games played.

It is logical that the league would want these games played early in case there are any further complications in finishing the campaign, but it does put the players of four clubs under more pressure than most.

June 17 will be fewer than four weeks - the minimum time Raheem Sterling reckoned everyone would need to get back up to speed - since Pep Guardiola and his squad returned to training, while Kevin De Bruyne warned about the dangers of injuries if the players were asked to do too much too soon.

Players being at the mercy of a relentless fixture list was a common occurrence in the pre-pandemic world, and maybe as in the Bundesliga a drop in quality can be expected as some are naturally fitter than others, but Premier League bosses are right to exercise caution over the new date.

The fixture list looks like it will be more brutal on City than anyone else. The cost of their success in other competitions means they are looking at 13 games in 46 days if they reach the FA Cup final - basically two games a week for six-and-a-half weeks. If all goes to plan, then comes the Champions League tilt.

However, every club is looking at a tight turnaround for games and City are more used than pretty much every other team at lifting themselves for matches every few days. As Guardiola has often said, better to be busy winning titles than free because you have nothing to play for.

City should be better placed than most to know if they will be ready for the gauntlet of games beginning on June 17, and you would expect the players to know the difference between the tiredness and tightness that comes with pre-season and anything more serious. If the games can go ahead, the Blues should also be better at getting through them - be that down to the experience of the players or the rotation of the manager.

Not that there is that much to play for in the rest of the league season, but as well as the cups being opportunities for more silverware there is the work towards the next campaign. The fixture list means all eyes will be on City when football returns - it is the job of Guardiola and the players to keep it there for the right reasons.