Sport

Rodri and Pep Guardiola warn of ‘unhealthy’ amount of games following Premier League rule changes

Rodri insisted that he played 'eight or nine more games' than the next outfield player in his team alone.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 10th August 2023

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.

At club level alone, Rodri played an estimated total of 4,476 minutes, i.e. nearly 75 hours of football.

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.

Rodri isn’t the only one worried about the ‘unhealthy’ amount of games players are being expected to play.

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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

Manchester United are once again opening up Old Trafford and Red Café for ‘Warm Hub’ evenings

Danny Jones Danny Jones Warm Hub evenings Old Trafford Manchester United

Manchester United are once again opening their doors to people in need this winter as they kick off the 2023 season of ‘Warm Hub’ evenings at Old Trafford.

The community support initiative is returning after the success of last year’s campaign which welcomed locals through the doors to Man United’s iconic home ground and the attached Red Café, helping thousands stay warm, grab a hot drink and a snack, as well as socialise with others.

Focusing on those vulnerable during the colder months, as well as those who might feel worried or lonely during the festive period, United‘s Warm Hubs proved to be a truly impactful resource to many Mancunians in 2022 and will no doubt do the same this year.

Starting from Monday, 4 December and repeating every week right through until January, the area will be available to everyone and completely free, staying open from 5-8pm every session.

Warm Hub sessions return to Old Trafford this Monday.

To sign up for the Warm Hub evenings — part of the wider ‘United By Your Side’ campaign — people can arrive at Old Trafford and register via the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand reception and will then be guided into the Red Café where they can grab a brew and something to eat.

Completely open to the public, the United Foundation will also be delivering a multi-layered approach to support the local community this time around, hoping to be an even more vital outlet to people around Greater Manchester than ever.

In addition to the obvious physical benefits of the warm space, the club want the ground to be a welcoming place for those looking for social connection over the holidays and beyond to spend time with others in friendly and safe surroundings.

As a charity supporting children and young people, the Foundation has focused its efforts on supporting families amidst the cost-of-living crisis after participants from its Youth Voice groups expressed concerns over being cold during the winter months.

The club also hosted the second-ever Stadium Sleepout to raise money for Manchester’s homeless community earlier this year.

As a result, the Foundation has now invested more than £100,000 in over 22,000 warm clothing items for every young person across its 77 partner schools in Greater Manchester and beyond, including hats, gloves, scarves, blankets and more.

These items have complemented the winter coats that were distributed earlier this year, following the matchday appeal that was held ahead of the Brentford fixture in October at Old Trafford — a brilliant drive that the club is also hoping to continue.

Donations from fans, club staff and men’s and women’s team players have also led to more than 2,000 coats being received, all of which have since been redistributed to identified families in need, local poverty charities and a charity in Ukraine. Heartwarming stuff.

Similarly, more than 200 shoeboxes – received thanks to Manchester United and Foundation staff – will be handed out to identified children as gifts ahead of the festive season.

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Speaking on the return of the scheme, United’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Collette Roche, said: “We want people who are struggling to know that they are not alone, particularly in our local community…

“Sadly, we also know many of our young people will be facing challenges during the winter period and we hope by providing them with some warm winter clothing or a Christmas gift through the Foundation’s great work we will bring some joy and support to those in need.”

Children under 16 attending this year’s sessions must be accompanied by a parent or guardian over the age of 16. The last warm hub evening of 2023 will be taking place on 18 December and will resume again in the New Year from 8 January until the last Monday of the month (29 January).

Thankfully, the sporting institution isn’t the only one doing its bit for the most vulnerable over the next few months, with places such as libraries across the region offering free hot drinks, wi-fi and a place to simply get warm this winter.

Five ways you can help homeless people in Greater Manchester this winter
If you’re hoping to help out those most vulnerable over the next few months, here are a few ways you can get involved.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Manchester United Foundation/Valeriy Borzov (via Unsplash)

Sport

Pep Guardiola takes dig at Mikel Arteta after Man City players rage over refereeing mistake

Danny Jones Danny Jones Pep Guardiola dig at Mikel Arteta comment on referee mistake Spurs

Pep Guardiola aimed a surprise jibe at his former assistant coach turned Arsenal manager following Manchester City’s frustrating draw against Spurs, joking that he wouldn’t make a “Mikel Arteta comment” after a huge refereeing blunder over the weekend.

The Man City head coach was one of many left visibly incensed by referee Simon Hooper’s on-field decision this past Sunday after the Premier League official blew a very late whistle whilst Jack Grealish was through on goal to pull the game back for a foul despite having already waved play on.

With the foul being committed against Erling Haaland, who got up almost immediately and earned the home side the advantage, the Norwegian number nine was left utterly furious when he turned to hear Hooper’s whistle blow after he had gotten back up and the pass to Grealish had already been made.

With Mateo Kovačić, Rúben Dias and Haaland all surrounding the ref, the lattermost being pictured swearing and physically pulling his hair out as his manager looked equally fuming and confused on the touchline, the Catalan coach decided to dig at a famous Arteta clip in his post-match interview.

You can watch the clip of Arteta that Pep is referring to HERE.

The 52-year-old was referencing a well-known video of Arteta in which he labelled VAR awarding a penalty to Newcastle against the Gunners last season “embarrassing” and “a disgrace”, which has gone on to become a widely-used meme online.

Ushering the reporter to move to the “next question” and resisting the urge to express his own anger, he simply explained that he couldn’t understand how the ref came to his decision.

Speaking to BBC Sport Manchester, he went on to admit, “Sometimes I lose my mind about the referees” but added that they are simply “always making mistakes” and that he’s sure “everyone enjoyed the game”. The neutrals, for sure — less so amongst Blues.

One of those who clearly couldn’t let it go after the fact was City’s star striker, who took to social media and reposted a clip of the sequence of play in real-time along with a simple one-word caption: “Wtf”.

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Although the footage itself has now been pulled down from the site, both this along with the reaction from Haaland and his teammates on the pitch could result in charges from the FA for failure to control the players.

Answering once again after being asked about the social media post from the media, Guardiola said it was perfectly understandable for him to be disappointed with the circumstances and might have been sent off if he continued to remonstrate after full-time, adding, “Even the referee, if he played for Man City today, he would be disappointed for sure”.

You can watch Pep’s post-match press conference in full down below:

Pep repeated his Arteta comment

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Sky Sports

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