Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, has expressed his solidarity with Rodri’s concerns over the heavy football schedule. Both Rodri, of Manchester City, John McGinn of Aston Villa and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson have recently voiced their worries over the ever-increasing matches added to the football calendar. Rodri, who played 63 matches for both his club and the Spanish National team last year, has stressed the possible escalated player fatigue due to the addition of extra Champions League games and an enlarged Club World Cup in America which could see players participating in 85 games in a year.
Guardiola reiterated that changes in the organisation could only come about due to player intervention. As he expressed, “It’s up to the players to instigate changes…they’re irreplaceable in the sport. They have the authority to effect changes…I believe they’re doing this to improve the fairness of the game and to make it more engaging.”
With an upcoming match against Arsenal on Sunday and a subsequent game against Watford in the Carabao Cup two days after, Guardiola has to mitigate player burnout by tweaking rosters in between fixtures. He admitted that having played their Champions League match a day before Arsenal which was also held locally, gave his team an edge. But he countered that by asserting how many times in the last six years they have been at a disadvantage against stronger teams due to fewer recovery days. In his words, “Right, it gives us a slight edge for now, but I could list numerous occasions in the past where we’ve been disadvantaged due to less recovery time.”
Guardiola has indicated that the playing status of Kevin De Bruyne is uncertain due to a groin injury he incurred during their game against Inter. The Manchester City midfielder has shown some improvement today (Friday), however, the final decision will be made after assessing his condition during training, Guardiola articulated. His participation isn’t off the table yet.
City have got off to an impeccable start this Premier League season, securing victories in their first four games. This positive streak places them two points ahead of Arsenal, who are currently in second place. Remarkably, since November 2022, City have maintained an undefeated record on home ground in the Premier League.
Guardiola expressed the significance of broadening the point difference at the top. However, he noted that winning or losing the league isn’t the paramount factor after just five games. Underestimating Arsenal based on their quality would, indeed, be a mistake, pointed out Guardiola. – Guardian