Manuel Akanji and Manchester City can expect a mammoth program in the coming weeks. The Nati defender warns of the heavy workload and also addresses the new Champions League mode.
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- Manuel Akanji has played every minute since the start of the season with Manchester City and has celebrated five wins in five competitive matches.
- After the 2:1 home win over Brentford, however, the international defender warned of the high workload for the players and joked: "I might have to retire at 30."
- Even after the end of the season, there are no long recovery periods in sight for the stars. "When do we go on vacation?" asks Akanji.
Whether in the five must-win games with Manchester City or in two international matches with Switzerland, Manuel Akanji has not missed a single minute since the season opener on August 10. While he has suffered two defeats with the national team, the central defender remains unblemished with his club with five wins from five games so far.
Nevertheless, Akanji sounded the alarm after the 2:1 win over Brentford and warned of the heavy workload on the stars. "It's getting more and more complicated. The Champions League has become bigger. There used to be six group games, now there are eight, and with the play-offs it could be 10. I think the old format was better," Akanji is quoted as saying in the dailymail.
"There has to be a limit"
Things get serious for ManCity in the top flight on Wednesday with the first match of the league phase against Inter Milan. Six games in 18 days are on the program until the next international break. "You also have to think about the players. At some point you're too tired to play another game and then injuries happen. We train as hard as we can and we're fit - but there has to be a limit," said the 29-year-old.
There are no long breaks in sight, not even at the end of the season. "It's so difficult. You don't just think about this season, but also about the next one," explains Akanji. Should his team reach the final of the Club World Cup and take part in the Community Shield again, there will be just three weeks off the season. "When do we go on vacation? There are no breaks in winter. If we're lucky, we'll have two weeks and then we'll have to start the next season again. There is no end to it."
The national team defender welcomes the fact that the sport is always being made more exciting. "But you also have to cancel a few games. You can't just add one game after another and assume that everything will stay the same," Akanji emphasizes, adding with a laugh: "I might have to retire at 30."
