Manchester City star Rodri and head coach Pep Guardiola have warned that he and several other teammates played an‘unhealthy’ amount of games last season and that things could soon get unmanageable following the latest Premier League changes.
The Man City and Spain star who secured the Blues’ first Champions League trophy and their historic treble recently gave an exclusive interview with The Athletic where he said that he needs to reassess after the total number of minutes he racked up last season.
Rodri, who has been an essential cog in Pep‘s team for multiple seasons now, told journalist Sam Lee, “I think I have to have a talk with the club and with the coach because starting 57, 59 games and playing 60-something, in general, is not healthy… I never get enough rest”.
Although the 27-year-old featured in 56 competitive club matches in the 2022/23 campaign, with international football on top of that (most of which he started) he played well over 60 games and with the Premier League recently announcing new rules changes, he could be set to face even more minutes.
"Last year I had the feeling that we were fighting for everything so I had to push my body to the limit.”
Rodri voices his concerns about playing too many games in #MCFC's greatest season, scoring in the #UCL final and what comes next.
Rodri went on to say that while this amount of fixture congestion isn’t too severe a problem right now, “When I get to 30 or 31 I cannot do this kind of thing, so I have to watch the body because 60 games is not the best thing for a player.
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“You can do it for one season, but when it’s two or three in a row, it can be worse for the team because your physicality can drop… We have already spoken that it cannot always be like this.” It will be interesting to see how this narrative plays out in City’s upcoming Treble documentary too.
He also noted that since “the seasons get even longer every year”, players and coaches, in general, are going to have to adapt in order to keep up with the pace, especially given the recent updates to how the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) want to see the league run.
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As part of the raft of new changes, the PGMOL confirmed that they intend to reduce stoppages in hopes of creating a better flow in games, allowing more leniency when it comes to “physical challenges” as well as more added time following lengthy celebrations. Guardiola took aim at the decision earlier this week.
"Don't ask me my opinion please" 🤐
Pep Guardiola questioned the new injury-time rules after Manchester City's Community Shield loss to Arsenal… pic.twitter.com/uBMPkwCUxN
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 7, 2023
Rodri isn’t the only one worried about the ‘unhealthy’ amount of games players are being expected to play.
Speaking after his sides’ Community Shield disappointment, Pep told reporters that the problem isn’t just physical but mental. “They are exhausted”, insisted the 52-year-old; “Look already how many players are injured in the pre-season in bad conditions: humidity, hot, the pitches are not really good – especially in the States. But it is what it is. We have to adapt, adjust, but it’s not normal.”
As for his opinion on the adjustments the FA are making match-by-match, he said that “wasting time, from my point of view, is not going to be solved by adding 10 more minutes”.
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It calculated that the average time the ball was in play in Premier League matches was less than 55 minutes per 90 and even fewer minutes further down the EFL but, as Pep sees it, “What happens if they continue to be slow? It’s more tiring for the players. It’s too much.”
City play the opening game of the new season against newly-promoted Burnley on Friday, 11 August at 8pm but only finished their pre-season on 30 July and played their last game this past Sunday. As the meme goes, ‘the football’ famously never stops and is officially going on forever.
Featured Image — Manchester City (via Instagram)
Sport
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
Manchester City plotting spending spree ‘before’ Club World Cup
Danny Jones
Manchester City are set to embark on somewhat of a spending spree this summer transfer window as the club’s higher-ups are looking to get business done before the 2025 Club World Cup.
With FIFA’s intercontinental club competition set to get underway in mid-June, the Blues don’t have too long to welcome in new players, but Man City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has reiterated their urgency regarding recruitment.
Despite having brought in four new acquisitions in a very short space of time last season, the 50-year-old argued that he wasn’t completely happy with the extent and speed of their business.
Giving a lengthy interview this week, CFG‘s founding chairman has imposed an internal deadline ahead of the lucrative knockout competition.
Speaking with club media, Khaldoon recognised that while there were incomings in January of this year, he believes they “should have been more aggressive in some of the changes we needed to do, adding that he believes it “cost [them].”
“I can tell you today, we have clearly identified who exactly [the targets are], in what positions, and we have our clear number one option, our clear number two option”, he continues.
More importantly, he goes on to add: “We’ll go about our business, and it will be very clear, very swift. Our objective is to try to be ready with the new squad for the Club World Cup.”
He also suggested the flurry of activity this past January was not just atypical of the administration, but felt the squad fell into a crisis state with the number of injuries, insisting they “had to act.”
City have already been linked with a hugely talented and highly-rated European target in the wake of Kevin De Bruyne‘s departure and a lack of strength in depth in midfield.
An initial bid is said to have been received already and will likely be the first of many City summer signings.
He also insisted that the players who joined last season weren’t scattershot, emergency transfers (perhaps barring the resigning of İlkay Gündoğan) but were the start of the rebuild and “gives [fans] an idea of what’s coming this summer.”
Another player linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium is Lyon star Rayan Cherki, who scored in big moments during their Europa League run this year, registering 32 goal contributions across all competitions throughout the 24/25 campaign.
Who would you like to see added to Pep Guardiola’s side this summer, then, Man City fans?
You can watch Khaldoon Al Mubarak’s interview in full down below:
Danny Jones -
10th August 2023 
