Man City star Manuel Akanji shares Pep Guardiola's worries with a harsh talk. Manchester City defeated Brentford 2-1 on Saturday and will now face Inter Milan in the Champions League before meeting Arsenal the following weekend, with games coming thick and fast for Pep Guardiola's side.
Manuel Akanji has lambasted the rising fixture burden that players face, claiming there is a "limit" to how much they can bear. Manchester City's Champions League campaign begins on Wednesday against Inter Milan, with the new structure requiring teams to play eight games in the first stage, an increase of two. That number of games could increase to ten if a team finishes outside the top eight and must compete in a two-leg play-off to advance to the final 16 knockout stage.
The crowded new match schedule is already hurting for City, who face championship rivals Arsenal on Sunday and Watford in the EFL Cup 48 hours later. City manager Pep Guardiola has criticized the increasing demands on players, and defender Akanji echoed his manager when asked about the new Champions League structure. "Now it's getting more complicated," said Akanji, who has made 127 appearances for City and Switzerland in two years. "It's just gotten bigger, with more games. It was six, and it could go up to ten.
"If you're going to do this, you'll have to remove some games; you can't just keep adding games and expecting things to stay the same. You need to consider about the players. When the games get tougher, you want to field your best team. You'll eventually be too exhausted to continue playing games.
"Injuries will undoubtedly occur. We train hard and are fit, but there has to be a limit. "We have the Club World Cup at the end of this season, but it's just game after game and I'm not sure how it will work out over the next couple of years."Assume we win the Premier League or FA Cup, then advance to the final of the Club World Cup; the Community Shield follows three weeks after. So, when are our holidays?
"There are no breaks in the winter." If we are lucky. We'll have two weeks before returning and beginning the following season. "Then the World Cup comes the next summer, followed by another Club World Cup the following summer. "Perhaps I'll retire at 30."
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