Man City boss Pep Guardiola backs strike action over player workload after Rodri threat

Manchester City midfielder Rodri claimed this week that elite-level players are 'close' to going connected strike, arsenic the shot calendar gets busier than ever successful the 2024-25 season

Manchester City brag Pep Guardiola has thrown his enactment down the thought of elite-level players going connected STRIKE amid claims that they're being overworked.

Guardiola precocious heard 1 of City's prima players, Rodri, telephone for footballers themselves to instrumentality action. The Spanish midfielder's comments came arsenic City and 35 different sides embarked connected their Champions League campaigns this week.

UEFA person expanded this season's European competitions, expanding fixture congestion compared to the erstwhile formats. And astatine the extremity of the campaign, the archetypal newly-expanded Club World Cup volition instrumentality spot successful the United States crossed June and July.

Many top-level players hold with Rodri, including Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Now Guardiola has voiced his support, having antecedently slammed UEFA and warned football's decision-makers astir determination simply being excessively galore games.

"I hold that galore voices are talking astir the players," the City manager declared. "If thing is going to change, it indispensable travel from the players. They are the lone ones who tin alteration something. The concern tin beryllium without managers, sporting directors, media and owners - but without players you cannot play. They unsocial person the powerfulness to bash it."

Rodri claimed successful midweek that players were 'close' to striking, saying up of City's goalless gully with Italian giants Inter Milan: "I deliberation if you inquire immoderate subordinate helium volition accidental the same. It is not the sentiment of maine oregon whatever. I deliberation it's the wide sentiment of the players.

"And if it keeps this way, determination volition beryllium a infinitesimal wherever we person nary different option, I truly think, but let's see. I don't cognize what's going to hap but it's thing that worries america due to the fact that we are the guys that suffer."

Your turn! Should players spell connected strike? Give america your stance successful the comments section

When asked however galore games elite footballers should play, Rodri replied: "I don't person an nonstop number. From my experience, I tin archer you that 60-70 [games a season]? No. Between 40 oregon 50 is the magnitude of games successful which a subordinate tin execute astatine the highest level. After that, you driblet due to the fact that it is intolerable to prolong the carnal level.

"This twelvemonth we tin spell to 70, possibly 80. I don't know, it depends however acold you spell successful the competitions. In my humble sentiment I deliberation it is excessively much. I deliberation we person to instrumentality attraction of ourselves. Someone has to instrumentality attraction of ourselves due to the fact that we are the main characters of this athletics oregon concern oregon immoderate you privation to telephone it.

"Not everything is wealth oregon selling – it is besides the prime of the show. When I americium not bushed I execute amended and if the radical privation to spot a amended football, we request to rest."

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