Man City’s key midfielder Rodriguez has spoken about the possibility of burnout due to playing too many games.
“Manchester City midfielder Rodriguez has held talks with club hierarchy to raise concerns about possible burnout,” the Daily Mail reported on Tuesday (ET).
Rodriguez is an irreplaceable part of the team and played 56 games in all competitions last season. He played more than anyone else in the team and totaled 4465 minutes in the league. United’s Bruno Fernandes is the only other Premier League player to play more than 5,000 minutes. 꽁머니지급
“I don’t remember exactly how many games I played, but I spoke to the club and the manager because I wasn’t feeling well. I’m young now, but when I’m 30 or 31, I might not be able to do this. You have to watch your body because 60 games is not the best for a player. Also, the season is getting longer every year. You have to adapt to that,” he said.
Another reason why Rodri is playing so much as an irreplaceable reserve is because Calvin Phillips is not doing his job. Phillips joined City from Leeds last season with high hopes, but he’s struggled mightily.
He missed time due to surgery on a pre-existing shoulder injury and was criticized by fans after the World Cup for being too overweight to train. In total, he made 21 appearances, but only four starts, a dismal record.
To make matters worse, the Premier League’s rules on extra time are being revamped for the 2023/24 season. As was the case at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the extra time will be longer. This will crack down on delays caused by injury treatment and intentional stoppages.
With more time on the pitch, players are bound to be concerned about fitness issues. Pep said: ‘It’s clear that football matches will now be 100 minutes long. Imagine if you had eight minutes of extra time and every time you scored a goal, the time was extended. We’d be playing until 9am tomorrow,” he said, pointing out the problem with the rule.
The rule has been met with complaints from top teams. Premier League teams essentially play three competitions – the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Carabao Cup – but the top teams also have to play in European competitions.
“To be honest, we don’t get enough rest,” says Rodri. After a month off, I think my body has recovered a lot. It was a good break,” he said.