Villa skipper John McGinn has warned the mental health of players is being put at risk by an increasingly hectic fixture schedule…
The congested calendar is in the spotlight with Manchester City midfielder Rodri this week claiming players are close to going on strike, with next summer’s expanded Club World Cup a particular bone of contention.
McGinn is the latest to express concern, saying the situation risks “getting out of hand”.
The Scotland international played 66 matches for club and country last season, with Villa reaching the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.
Asked about the pressure of playing so many games, 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 and hopefully we can come to some sort of happy balance.”
Villa are currently in a run of seven matches in 22 days between international breaks which includes their opening two ties in the expanded Champions League group stage. Manager Unai Emery this week hit out at the international scheduling, calling for more “common sense” to be applied with the calendar.
McGinn acknowledges a busier workload is the price of success but thinks a better balance must be found.
The 29-year-old explained: “I’ve experienced both sides of the coin.
“When we were mid-table we weren’t playing many games and not playing for much at the end of the season, we were desperate to play games, desperate to be involved and be successful.
“I think that there is a part of it that’s getting a little out of hand, especially the Club World Cup next season.
“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 time of things you need to switch off.
“Initially, when we first got into European competition, it was like ‘keep the games, coming, just keep ‘em 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, so they need to get the balance a bit better and there’s a lot of people pushing for that.
“We’re supporting that. We want to be successful and we love playing football but the balance has to be right.”
Villa are next in action when they host Wolves on Saturday, before a Carabao Cup third round trip to Wycombe next Tuesday.
McGinn’s Villa team-mate Youri Tielemans claimed football is getting “tougher every year”.
“We all know the schedule is going to be very busy,” he said.
“There are at least two more games in the new Champions League format so we are going to have to manage our recovery times and hopefully pick up as few injuries as possible.
“But they are going to happen anyway, they are part of the game but yes, the schedule is very busy.
“Football is a demanding sport. The amount of games, there are more competitions, football is getting tougher every year. It takes its toll on the body. We have to make the most of our recovery times.
“And we need to take care of our bodies but it’s true that sometimes it’s very hard but it’s what we love to do anyway.”
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