- Man City stars have expressed concerns over the congested football calendar
- Josko Gvardiol does not believe that officials will reduce the fixture cram
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Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol claimed that he cannot see any reduction in fixtures per season after his teammate Rodri said that players are close to striking in protest at an increase in the number of games.
‘Whatever I say, they are not going to change anything,’ said Gvardiol. ‘I will be happy if we can get more days off (to recover) but it is what it is,’ he added.
Rodri, 28, made his first City start of the season on Wednesday night against Inter Milan as City were held to a goalless draw in their first game in the new Champions League format.
Both the new Champions League and Club World Cup formats means that City will play at least four extra matches compared to last season’s guaranteed fixtures – across the past two full seasons, City played 120 times across all competitions.
But Gvardiol, 22, insisted he likes the expanded group stage and that it is not a topic of conversation between his City teammates.
Josko Gvardiol believes football bosses are ‘not going to make changes’ to the crammed fixture calendar
UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin has faced criticism for the increase in fixtures this season, following the introduction of the revamped Champions League format
It comes after Rodri stated that some players are close to striking due to the fixture overload
Last weekend, his teammate Manuel Akanji, 29, joked he would ‘retire at 30’ due to the fact that ‘there’s no end’ to the overload of games.
‘Not really (talking about it). We are concentrating on our season. It’s a long season,’ said Gvardiol. ‘I’m a very big fan of the new format.
‘That’s why we play football. I’d be happier with more days off but I’m still young and fresh so for the older teammates who probably need a rest.
The the revamped Champions League could now see teams play up to 10 group-stage matches if they make the play-offs. Previously teams would only play six
Gvardiol (left) insisted that Man City’s players had ‘not been talking about’ the fixture cram
‘I’m not one to decide and change anything,’ the Croatian added.
Pep Guardiola’s side welcome Arsenal on Sunday, before taking on Watford in the EFL Cup just two days later at the Etihad Stadium.
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