The Aston Villa captain, John McGinn, has said players’ mental health is at risk because of the volume of matches and that next summer’s Club World Cup is a sign of things “getting a little out of hand”.
This week, the Manchester City midfielder Rodri said players may go on strike over the schedule, after the Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson said it was poor that Uefa had not consulted players on the Champions League expansion. Next June, the month-long Club World Cup will feature 12 European clubs, including Champions League winners from 2021-24.
McGinn, who played 66 matches last season, including with Scotland at Euro 2024, acknowledged success could be a double-edged sword. “I think that there is a part of it that’s getting a little out of hand, especially the Club World Cup next season,” he said. “We are fortunate to be well paid for doing a job we absolutely love. No one is getting away from that, but at times the mental side of things you need to switch off.
“Initially, when we first got into European competition, it was like: ‘Keep the games coming, just keep them coming.’ But it is hard to churn them out when you are playing 70-plus games a season and then you’re playing international games. There’s not a lot of time to rest.”
Asked about the pressures games bring, McGinn said: “It’s more so the mental side. Football at this level brings amazing highs and tremendous lows. At the end of the season you just want to go: ‘Hands up, I’m done.’ But now the teams in that Club World Cup, they’re not going to have any time to do that. People’s health is the most important thing.”
Youri Tielemans said recovery would be crucial to coping with the schedule. Villa are competing on four fronts: the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup, in which they travel to Wycombe on Tuesday.
“Football is getting tougher every year,” the Villa midfielder said. “It takes its toll on the body. We have to make the most of our recovery times. We need to take care of our bodies … sometimes it’s very hard but it’s what we love to do.”
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Villa’s next game is at home to Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday, when they will honour Gary Shaw, who died on Monday.