More pressure will be put on Manchester City's players next season than ever before, with a Premier League title to defend, two domestic trophies to compete for, a Champions League to win and the small matter of a World Cup right in the middle of the season.
If City reach the finals of all three competitions, and any members of the squad reach the World Cup semi-finals, they would play at least 78 games in 11 months. As Gareth Bale pointed out, between now and the 2023 Champions League final, these players will get just three weeks off in a year - the next three weeks coming up.
So while City built their success this season on a smaller-than-usual squad, they may be tempted to share the minutes around next season so their players don't get burned out. It helps, then, that they are closing in on two top-quality starting XIs to rotate in the next 12 months.
