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Rodri: ‘Playing 60 games a season is not healthy’

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has shared his concerns about the hectic fixture schedule and the Premier League and EFL’s new approach of increasing the minutes played in injury time.
Football league officials in England intend to add World Cup-style amounts of injury time to matches and accurately calculate the time added on to reflect certain stoppages in play.

As a result of the new laws, all 35 EFL matches on the opening weekend of the 2023-24 season featured at least eight minutes of added time, while all but two matches went beyond the 100-minute mark.

Rodri was one of the standout performers in Man City’s historic treble-winning 2022-23 campaign, providing seven assists and scoring four goals including the match-winner in the Champions League final triumph over Inter Milan in June.

The Spain international played 56 times for the Citizens last season and notched up a total of 4,478 minutes, 203 minutes more than goalkeeper Ederson and 349 minutes more than the next outfield star Erling Haaland.

Heading into the new season, Rodri remains a key cog in the Man City machine managed by Pep Guardiola – who stated last weekend that the ‘big brain’ match officials have never consulted him over the new injury-time rules – and the midfielder has concurred with his boss, admitting that playing an extensive number of games is “not healthy”.

“I don’t remember exactly the games I played, but I had a talk with the club and the coach because starting 57 or 59 games and playing in 60 or something is not healthy,” Rodri told reporters.

“You can do it for one season, but when it’s two or three in a row, it can be worse for the team because your physicality can drop. So I have to watch out. We have already spoken that it cannot always be like this.

“But last year, on the other hand, I had the feeling that we were fighting for everything, and I had to push my body to the limit. That’s why I sometimes feel bad at the end of the season – but for me, it was great.”

The 27-year-old added: “To be honest, I never get enough rest. I feel pretty well recovered after having about one month off. It was a good break, and we have a coach who understands and who gives us everything he can to recover.

“I think we are the last team in the Premier League to start pre-season because he understands that rest is important. So, yes, I’m very happy about last season and how it finished, and now we go into another season, and it’s going to be a long one.”

Asked if he is aware of Man City’s concerns regarding his fitness, Rodri said: “I don’t know. But when you look at the stats and look at the number of minutes, I played seven, eight, nine games more than the second outfield player.

“It’s not a problem now. The important thing for me is that they know the situation, and they know that for the next few seasons we will have to watch out.

“Now I am young, but maybe when I get to 30 or 31 I cannot do this kind of thing, so I have to watch the body because 60 games is not the best thing for a player. Also, the seasons get even longer every year. We have to adapt to this.”

Rodri played the full 90 minutes in Man City’s Community Shield loss on penalties to Arsenal last weekend and he is expected to be involved in their opening Premier League game of the new season away at Burnley on Friday.

Guardiola will also have summer signing Mateo Kovacic to call upon, while the likes of Kalvin Phillips, John Stones, Rico Lewis and Maximo Perrone are additional deep-lying midfield options at the Catalan’s disposal.

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Man City condemn racist, misogynistic abuse directed at Bunny Shaw

Manchester City has expressed outrage after striker Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw was subjected to racist and misogynistic abuse following their Women’s Super League loss to Arsenal on Sunday.

The club confirmed that the offensive content has been reported to the relevant authorities, with an investigation underway. In a show of dignity and strength, Shaw, 28, chose not to share the hateful messages publicly to avoid giving the perpetrators any attention.

In a statement, Manchester City emphasized their zero-tolerance stance on discrimination:

“Discrimination of any kind, either in stadiums or online, will not be tolerated and has absolutely no place inside or outside the game.”

They reiterated their full support for Shaw, describing the treatment she received as “disgusting.”

The Jamaican international recently marked her 100th appearance for Manchester City in Sunday’s 4-3 defeat to Arsenal. Shaw boasts an impressive record of 86 goals for the club and has been named their Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons.

This incident underscores the continued fight against discrimination in football, with clubs, players, and authorities remaining united in efforts to eradicate abuse from the sport.

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Super Eagles set for crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe

“The little things stuck with me” – Super Eagles star credits his Father for Christmas charity act

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will face the Amavubi of Rwanda on Friday, March 21, in a crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying encounter. The match is scheduled to take place at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.

Following this, Nigeria will host the Warriors of Zimbabwe five days later at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.

The official announcement of these fixtures was made via the Super Eagles’ X handle on Tuesday.

Nigeria’s World Cup qualification campaign has been underwhelming so far, with three draws and one defeat from four matches. The team currently sits fifth in Group C with three points, trailing joint leaders Benin Republic, South Africa, and Rwanda by four points.

These upcoming matches will be crucial for the three-time African champions as they seek to revive their chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

A victory in Kigali and a strong performance at home in Uyo could be pivotal to their hopes.

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Brendan Rodgers reflects on Celtic’s “not ideal” January transfer window

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has acknowledged that the January transfer window did not go as planned but refrained from assigning blame, emphasizing the need for a club review.

The Scottish Premiership leaders secured the signing of Jeffrey Schlupp from Crystal Palace and brought winger Jota back from Rennes. However, their star forward Kyogo Furuhashi departed for Rennes, leaving a significant void in the squad.

Rodgers admitted the desire for another striker:

“We wanted another striker, so we’re not hiding behind anything. The supporters will see that a top striker, a legendary one, has gone out. I understand their concerns.”

Adam Idah has stepped up, scoring three goals in two games following Kyogo’s departure, while Johnny Kenny returned from a loan spell at Shamrock Rovers. Daizen Maeda, another forward option, is suspended for the first leg of Celtic’s Champions League play-off against Bayern Munich.

Despite the challenges, Rodgers stressed a forward-looking approach:

“I’m not going to become frustrated and kill my joy of working here by thinking what could have been. We work with the players here now. That is the focus.”

When asked whether it was a mistake to let Furuhashi go without a replacement, Rodgers explained:

“If a player does not want to be here, then we do the best deal and move on. Could we have done better? Yes, but that’s football. We now focus on what we have and finish off what’s been a great season so far.”

Celtic will need to rally behind their current squad as they prepare for the Champions League play-off against Bayern Munich next week.