Pep Guardiola has bemoaned this season's fixture schedule more than once. Star midfielder Rodri suggested players might even strike over the number of games before injury ended his campaign early.
City's autumn wobble has raised the prospect of two play-off ties in the Champions League adding further matches to an already crowded schedule.
And Thursday night brought about the draw for next summer's expanded Club World Cup, now a 32-team FIFA juggernaut with a minimum of three matches and the possibility of seven.
City are out of the Carabao Cup after just two games but played in the Community Shield and face the very real prospect of a 70-game campaign on the back of a European Championship where four of their players started in the final.
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