Rodri has said players are close to striking over the increased number of games, with the Manchester City midfielder believing that 40-50 matches a season is the optimum amount. City host Inter in their Champions League opener on Wednesday, the competition having expanded by two games a team in the new league format.
Rodri is yet to start for City this season after a break of about two months since the Euro 2024 final victory with Spain on 14 July, which was his 63rd match of last term. Next June, the month-long inaugural 32-club Fifa Club World Cup is due to start, adding to the workload as City, along with Chelsea, will participate from the Premier League. Including internationals, City players could play a maximum of 85 games.
The 28-year-old was asked whether striking was an option to try to curtail the demand. “I think we are close to that – it is easy to understand,” he said. “If you ask any player he will say the same; it is not the opinion of Rodri or whatever. It’s the general opinion of the players. And if it keeps this way, there will be a moment where we have no other option. It’s something that worries us because we are the guys that suffer.”
Rodri was asked the optimum amount. “I don’t have an exact number,” he said. “From my experience I can tell you that 60-70 [is no good]. Between 40 and 50 is the amount of games in which a player can perform in the highest level. After that you drop because it is impossible to sustain the physical level.
“This year we can go to 70, maybe 80, I don’t know. It depends how far you go in the competitions. It is too much. We have to take care of ourselves. Someone has to take care of ourselves because we are the main characters of this sport or business or whatever you want to call it.
“Not everything is money or marketing, it is also the quality of the show. When I am not tired I perform better and if the people want to see a better football, we need to rest.”
Rodri’s sentiment echoes that voiced by Liverpool’s Alisson on the eve of facing Milan in the Champions League. “Nobody asks the players what they think about adding more games, so maybe our opinion doesn’t matter,” the goalkeeper said. “But everyone knows what we think about having more games. Everybody is tired of that.”
The Professional Footballers’ Association said: “Players and their unions have asked to be listened to and to be a central part of these processes. When they are ignored then the natural consequence is that players will begin to consider all options available to them. Players are repeatedly saying that enough is enough and this must now act as a serious wake-up call to the authorities.”
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Erling Haaland had a summer rest owing to Norway not qualifying for Euro 2024 but reported back for training on 15 July and the Club World Cup final is on 13 July 2025. The striker has scored nine goals in City’s first four Premier League matches, making it 99 in 103 matches for the club.
Pep Guardiola joked at first about him improving further before stating that he could. “If you tell me in the next 100 games he scores another 99 goals, it’s fine,” the manager said. “As many games as he plays in this club, he will improve naturally.”