December 18, (THEWILL) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has called for changes to the football calendar as the fixture burden on players continues to rise. His comments come after FIFA’s decision to expand the Club World Cup to 32 teams starting in 2025.
In a recent press conference, Guardiola stated he is not against new competitions in principle, as Manchester City is guaranteed a spot in the expanded Club World Cup. However, he feels “something has to give” to ease the workload on players.
“I am against the lack of time to recover from year to year,” Guardiola told reporters. “It is really tough to finish the season and then in three weeks restart again and go to Asia or the States.” He called for changes but did not specify what changes needed to be made.
Guardiola’s comments come as Manchester City prepare for this year’s Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia. They face Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-finals on Tuesday. Reaching the final would give City the chance to win one trophy that they had not previously had the chance to compete for.
The demanding schedule is also taking its toll on City’s squad. Striker Erling Haaland looks set to miss his fourth straight game with a foot injury. While Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku are with the squad, they are not expected to feature as they close in on returns from injury.
City midfielder Bernardo Silva acknowledged it is a difficult schedule but said players cannot complain given the money they earn. However, he worries “if we have this many games for so long, at the end the games will lose the energy and the intensity.”
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
