A strike threatens football

Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, stated that the best football players are the only ones who can force a change in the increasing number of matches they must play each year.

And it is that during the week, Rodri, City midfielder, assured that the players are close to a strike due to the increasingly congested calendar of matches and that it will increase next year with the expanded Club World Cup in the United States.

Faced with this situation, the Catalan strategist pointed out yesterday that sports stars will possibly “have to do something” if they want to resist.

“If something is going to change it must always come from the players,” he said. “That business (football) may not have a coach, sports directors, the press, without the owners, but without players it cannot be played,” Guardiola added.

The players’ union has already sued FIFA over the expanded Club World Cup, which will feature 32 teams for the first time next year, an increase from the current seven. The tournament will take place in the offseason for most leagues between June and July.

Players’ union FIFPRO expressed concern about the increasing physical and mental demands on players, but the European Club Association, which represents Europe’s top clubs, welcomed the tournament.

Prior to City’s debut Champions League match against Inter Milan, Rodri, Euro champion with Spain and nominated for the Ballon d’Or, assured that the strike is necessary for them to take action.

“If it continues this way, there will come a time when we have no choice, I think,” he admitted. “It is something that worries us because we are the ones who suffer,” he said.

A very busy day

This morning the fifth round of the English Premier League begins with eight games on Saturday.

It all starts with Chelsea’s visit to West Ham’s field, in a duel between London teams that will try to straighten their path at the start of the season.

Aston Villa and Newcastle will seek to remain among the top five in the competition when they face Wolverhamton at home and Fulham, where Mexican Raúl Jiménez plays, as a visitor.

The Villanos are in fifth place in the table, three points behind leaders Manchester City. While the Magpies, who remain undefeated, are third to just two of the citizens.

In a duel between the newly promoted and the bottom, Southampton will face Ipswich.

Trying to close the gap so that the European places do not slip away, Tottenham will seek to get the three points at home when they host Brentford, a team that has had a good start in the Premier.

Liverpool, coached by Arne Slot, will have to turn the page from the defeat suffered last week, when they face Bournemouth.

After beating Milan 3-1, coming from behind in their debut in the Champions League, the Red team must focus on “recovering” the points they lost against Nottingham Forest, taking advantage of the fact that tomorrow Manchester City and Arsenal will play against each other. they.

On the Bournemoth side, the Mexican Julián Araujo could see minutes at the Anfield stadium.

In another duel, Manchester United will visit Crystal Palace hoping to get out of the middle of the table and get closer to the European places.

Finally, Everton will visit Leicester, in a duel of teams desperate to obtain a victory that will lift them from the bottom.— AP