John McGinn weighs in on Rodri's 'strike' debate as Aston Villa fear fixture pile-up

Aston Villa's internationals will have played a maximum of 12 matches for club and country before the October international break

Aston Villa captain John McGinn believes the busy football calendar is "getting out of hand", warning the mental health of top level footballers must be protected amid Rodri's claim that strike action could be close.

McGinn made 66 appearances last season for club and country, up to Scotland's last Euro 2024 game against Hungary. Villa went far in the Europa Conference League, playing 12 matches before being knocked out by Olympiacos in the semi-finals and played four domestic cup matches.

The Villa skipper is one of a number of players who play for teams in European competitions and feature regularly for their country, who have very little time during the season to rest and recuperate. Some members of Unai Emery's squad, including McGinn, have already played seven games for club and country in the first month of the season and in the two-week period before the October international break, Villa have another five matches in all competitions.

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"It’s a very important topic and subject, I’ve experienced both sides of the coin." McGinn said about his stance on the congested fixture list. "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 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 ‘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."

McGinn added: "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."

After missing 12 games for club and country through injury last season, Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans admits the amount of games being played does take its toll.

"We all know the schedule is going to be very busy," the Belgian 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."

Emery brought the issue up in his programme notes before Villa faced Everton last weekend, calling on the football authorities to revise the hectic calendar.

"I am very proud that a big majority of our team are called up for national team duties," Emery said. "It’s a signal of the high quality of our squad. My second feeling is not sweet. As a coach, I am very concerned about the number of matches that the international schedule is forcing the players to play.

"We can understand if one player must represent the country, of course, but the football authorities must stop this number of matches that are out of any common sense."

The Club World Cup - which Manchester City are involved in - has also expanded to 32 teams and will be held next summer. Pep Guardiola's side played only two games to win the Club World Cup in December, but next summer would need to play three group games and four knockout matches if they were to go all the way.

"I think we are close to that," said City midfielder Rodri when asked whether players will strike. "If it keeps this way, it will be a moment that we have no other option, but let's see."

Chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, Maheta Molango, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "We want to give priority to our domestic competitions. This is the bread and butter of our players. I don’t think the issue is here domestically. The problem is more international competition, especially the national team competition for example.

"Or this new format of Club World Cup which is happening in the summer. So I don’t think the focus is forcibly on domestic competitions. We need to now define what this [strike] may look like."

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