Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has issued a stark warning about the future of football, comparing the sport’s increasingly demanding schedule to the NBA, but highlighting a crucial difference that could have severe implications for player welfare. As his team grapples with mounting injuries and an unrelenting fixture list, Guardiola’s concerns shed light on a growing crisis in modern football.
The celebrated Spanish manager, whose team recently suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season against Bournemouth, drew attention to the parallels between football’s evolving calendar and the NBA’s intensive schedule. However, he emphasized a critical distinction that sets the two sports apart: while NBA players enjoy a four-month off-season to recover and rejuvenate, footballers must make do with a mere three weeks of rest.
When we go to the World Club Cup, arriving at the last stages of the competition, we’re going to play more than 70 games,” Guardiola revealed, pointing to the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup scheduled for June-July 2025 in the United States. This tournament represents yet another addition to an already congested calendar, pushing teams and players to their absolute limits.
The impact of this relentless schedule is already evident at Manchester City, where the squad is dealing with several significant injuries. The absence of key players like Rodri, who is out for the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and Kevin De Bruyne, sidelined since September with a thigh issue, has forced Guardiola to make difficult decisions regarding player management.
The situation has become so dire that some players are pushing themselves to compete despite not being fully fit. In their recent 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth, defenders Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake exemplified this concerning trend, taking to the field despite carrying injuries. Ake’s determination was particularly noteworthy, with Guardiola sharing that the decision to play came down to the wire: “Until the last moment I didn’t know Nathan could play and he says: ‘No, I want to try, I want to try’.”
Perhaps most alarming was the revelation about Kyle Walker’s preparation for the Bournemouth match. The England international had just six minutes of training before the game, having participated in only “four or five training sessions” with the team since returning from international duty. While Guardiola praised Walker’s “incredible” physical condition that allowed him to complete 90 minutes against “many fast players,” the situation raises questions about the sustainability of such practices.
The mounting pressure on players and medical staff is not merely a short-term concern. Guardiola emphasized that the current crisis is the culmination of years of increasingly demanding schedules: “It’s not this season, it comes from the previous season, the previous season, the previous season.” This compounding effect suggests that without significant changes to the football calendar, the sport could be heading toward a breaking point.
The situation at Manchester City provides a perfect case study of the modern football paradox. While the sport’s global appeal continues to grow, creating opportunities for more competitions and matches, the physical limitations of players remain unchanged. The introduction of the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 will only exacerbate these challenges, potentially pushing the total number of games for successful teams beyond 70 per season.
There are signs of hope, however. De Bruyne, who has been out since September, is showing signs of improvement. Kevin yesterday started to feel better,” Guardiola reported, though he stressed the importance of careful management: “I tried to take care of him… we need him and he will be back in the right moment.” This patient approach to player recovery, while necessary, becomes increasingly difficult to maintain as fixture lists expand.
As Manchester City prepare for their upcoming Champions League clash with Sporting CP, followed swiftly by a Premier League encounter with Brighton, Guardiola’s warnings about the future of football take on added significance. The question remains: can the sport find a sustainable balance between commercial success and player welfare?
The comparison to the NBA is particularly telling. While both sports demand peak physical performance and feature numerous games, the crucial difference in recovery time highlights a fundamental flaw in football’s current trajectory. As the sport continues to evolve, finding solutions to this scheduling crisis may prove to be one of football’s greatest challenges.
For now, Guardiola and his team must “just handle it,” as he puts it, but his warnings suggest that without meaningful change, football’s future may look very different from its past. The beautiful game stands at a crossroads, where the pursuit of entertainment and commercial success must be balanced against the very human limitations of its players.
