Manchester City star Rodri has revealed that he intends to discuss load management with Pep Guardiola after a marathon 2022/23 campaign.
The holding midfielder played a whopping 56 games in all competitions for Manchester City last season, and was a key member of the team which created history by becoming only the second English team to win the treble - UEFA Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.
Despite his key position at the base of City's midfield, Rodri also popped up with some crucial goals in the club's triumphant season including the winner in the Champions League final.
Speaking to The Athletic ahead of what promises to be another lengthy season for Man City, Rodri admitted that he does not intend to play 50+ games again.
"I don't remember exactly the games I played but I think I have to have a talk with the club and with the coach because starting 57, 59 games and playing 60-something in general is not healthy," he said.
"You can do it one season but two or three in a row it could be worse for the team in the sense that the physicality can drop, so we have to watch out for these kinds of things and, for sure, with my people we have already spoken and said it cannot be like this.
"On the other hand, last year I had the feeling that we were fighting for everything so I had to push my body to the limit - that's why sometimes I feel like this at the end of the season, but for me it was great."
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An added concern for players this season will be new refereeing directives aimed at limiting the effectiveness of time wastng from clubs. To combat time wasting during games, referees have been told they will be expected to add additional time on at the end of matches, something which Pep Guardiola took issue with after the Community Shield.
"It was annoying but we have to get used to it. I had the feeling, not because we were winning 1-0, but that not much happened to extend it for eight minutes," the boss said at the time.
"It's a good question for the international board and people because they don't consult with managers and players and we have to accept it with this amount of games. Now the games will be 100 minutes. Nothing happened today and there was eight minutes.
"They extend for goals. If you score 4-3 you put 45 seconds for seven goals, tomorrow morning at 9am I am [still] here playing."
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This article was originally published on 90min as Rodri reveals reason he needs Pep Guardiola talks.
