Leeds United could have a potential advantage when they host Manchester City on Wednesday are they are deemed as the Premier League club most at risk of burnout. That is according to a study done by PA Sport, who discovered that City players played over 1000 thousand more minutes and covered almost 100km more than any other club in the division at the World Cup.
City had 16 players representing their respective nations in Qatar with a number of those going deep into the tournament, including Julian Alvarez who was victorious with Argentina. Members of Pep Guardiola's squad were calculated to have played 5180 minutes during the competition.
To put that into context, Tottenham were the closest to that number with 4107 minutes. That said, only Nathan Ake and the aforementioned Alvarez were in the top 25 for minutes played by Premier League players, suggesting that it was very evenly spread across the squad.
READ MORE: Pep Guardiola admits Manchester City 'have no players' ahead of Leeds United return
Additionally, City players also covered 486km during the tournament, with Manchester United the closest side to that amount at 387km. Thankfully for Guardiola, though, he has a squad that is more than capable of coping with the number of games and his squad rotation is often why his City side are so strong at the back end of the season.
A statistic which emphasises that is that no City player is in the top 13 for minutes played by Premier League players across all competitions this season. From a Leeds perspective, they should really becoming into the restart of the season fresh.
They are 14th in the Premier League for minutes played at the World Cup with 785. Midfielder Tyler Adams consists of over half that after playing 405 minutes for the USA, but he is suspended for the clash against City anyway.
READ NEXT:
- Leeds United player ratings with Robin Koch's display emphasised by second-half collapse
- Leeds United's Robin Koch and Brenden Aaronson shine in Monaco defeat but absentees a concern
- 'Haaland up next' - Leeds United supporters react in unison after Monaco drubbing
- Leeds United hit with illness as Rene Maric gives fitness update ahead of Man City clash
- Leeds United supporters highlight lack of depth after Monaco team news
