PREMIER LEAGUE players could go on strike over issues relating to player welfare concerns say's Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola. The Spainard, however, does feel it will happen even though it has crossed his mind.
Jordan Henderson spoke about the issue this week and claimed that not enough has been done enough by people who run the game to combat the issue.
The Christmas period is one of the most hectic schedules in world football and requires players to play every 2-3 days, but the Corona virus has made the concern for player welfare all the more greater.
Jordan Henderson says he is "concerned" that "nobody really takes player welfare seriously".
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 22, 2021
Several squads have been depleted with a number of clubs now facing a fixture backlog amid a raft of postponements.
Guardiola thinks the fixture list needs to be slimmed down to solve the issue and its left the Manchester City boss frustrated with the lack of decisive to help the players
Guardiola said:
“The tradition of Boxing Day in the Premier League is massively important. It is one of the characteristics, and it is why the Premier League is special. This is not going to be changed.
“I would love to play in this period with lots of games. It is a tradition from centuries ago. Boxing Day was so nice for families to go to the stadiums. I can imagine January 1 in London – Arsenal v Man City – it will be so nice
“The problem is the fixtures. The calendar, 365 days a year with international duties for the national team, huge competitions with a lot of games.
“The players have two or three weeks of holiday in the summer and it’s the season again. This is too much.
“Should the players and the managers be all together and make a strike, or something, because just through words it’s not going to be solved? For FIFA, the Premier League, the broadcasters… business is more important than welfare.”
👊 Both Pep Guardiola & Mikel Arteta have Jurgen & Hendo's back! pic.twitter.com/oMZw2wdR1n
— Liverpool FC News (@LivEchoLFC) December 24, 2021
The Spainard was asked if a strike was a possibility, but felt it wasn't something that will happen;
“No, I don’t think so because we want to play, we want to continue, to make the people happy going to the stadium on the 26th, 27th, 29th, 31st and first, and play games because we love to do that.
“I’m not saying there’s a reason to make a strike but (there are) more games and more games and less holidays. It’s a problem.
