Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has insisted that his side will now take their season "game by game", as they kick-off their crucial February run across four competitions with the visit of Leicester City on Saturday.
Taking it one step at a time
It has been an extraordinary second season for Guardiola as City side have stormed to dominance across all fronts, with the month of February seemingly proving crucial in how the season will turn out.
Their Champions League tie with FC Basel will follow the clash with Claude Puel's men, which will be followed by their FA Cup clash with Wigan and culminating with the Carabao Cup Final clash with Arsenal.
But despite the prominence of the upcoming games towards their quadruple ambitions, but Guardiola insisted that all the focus will be on the clash with The Foxes come Saturday tea time.
"There are four different competitions to play this month," Guardiola confirmed to his pre-match press conference. "The Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup and Carabao Cup - but we will manage it the same way as we have done it until now, thinking game by game."
"Now we have tomorrow (Leicester)," the coach highlighted. "Three days later the Champions League, then five days (FA Cup fifth round at Wigan), and then five days for the final (Carabao Cup v Arsenal)."
"We will see day by day how the players feel," the Catalan admitted. "Some players are not fit. Others will come back."
"This season we have done it that way," Guardiola added. "And we are going to continue."
A break can make you come back stronger
Despite all their success, it has come at a price to City with a host of significant injuries but in the last few weeks, it does seem that fatigue has begun to creep into their performances.
They had a minor blip last weekend when they drew 1-1 with the out of form Burnley, following that stalemate Guardiola gave the entire squad and backroom staff three days off and he stated that it could prove invaluable at this stage of the campaign.
"We will see," he said about the side's prolonged break. "If we win, good, if we don’t win, not."
"We have had a lot of games since August, with just one midweek off," the coach highlighted. "So we needed it."
"We love to play football but when you play every three days in three or four competitions," Guardiola concluded. "Sometimes a break is good for everybody because you come back stronger."