Rodri threatens to go on strike as Man City star wades into Champions League row

Manchester City midfielder Rodri says he and others players are close to striking due to the demands of the new-look football calendar.

The Champions League has implemented a new league format this season, scrapping the group stage format which would see each team play six games against three different opponents.

Instead, each team will now play eight matches against eight different teams with four at home and four away from home.

More matches being added to the already-busy fixture schedule has caused frustrations within dressing rooms across Europe, with City’s Bernardo Silva recently speaking out about the negative impact that competing so regularly is having on players.

Liverpol goalkeeper Alisson also said on Monday: “Nobody asks the players what they think about adding more games, so maybe our opinion doesn’t matter. But everyone knows what we think about having more games. Everybody is tired of that.”

And City’s Rodri has now joined in in raising concerns about the demands being put on players.

Speaking ahead of City’s clash with Inter Milan in the Champions League, the Spaniard was asked whether he felt that striking is an option in the future, to which he replied: “I think we’re close to that.

“It’s the general opinion of the players. And if it keeps this way, we’ll have no other option, I really think… It’s something that worries us. We are the guys who suffer!”

Rodri then spoke about the ideal number of games a player should play per season, explaining: “From my experience, I can tell you that 60 or 70 – no.

“Between 40 and 50 is the amount of games in which a player can perform at the highest level. After that, you drop because it is impossible to sustain the physical level.

“This year we are maybe going to go until 70 or maybe 80. In my humble opinion, I think it is too much. Someone has to take care of us because we are the main characters of this, let’s say, sport, or business, whatever you want to call it.

“Not everything is about money or marketing. It is about the quality of the show. In my opinion, when I am not tired I perform better. If people want to see better football then we need to rest.”

City will be hoping that they do not pay the price for fixture congestion during the latter stages of the season, having opted against a busy summer transfer window by making just two new signings in Ilkay Gundogan and Savinho.