Unai Emery and Vincent Kompany disagree over European Super League

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery believes plans for more competitions - including the newly proposed European Super League format - shouldn't go ahead due to the increased risk of injuries. Burnley boss Vincent Kompany, meanwhile, thinks more games are a good idea but only if implemented correctly.

A new, controversial ESL proposal was launched earlier this month, prompting a whole host of clubs to speak out against it – including those likeliest to be invited. The plan, which was set out to rival UEFA tournaments, included a league system with 64 men's clubs and 32 women's clubs in multiple different tiers.

Managers have been fairly quiet since but neither Emery nor Kompany held back when asked in the post-match press conference, following Villa's 3-2 win over Burnley.

"It’s difficult. It’s a lot of games for the players – too many. There’s a chance for them to get injured. I can give my opinion. I think It's difficult for the players. Lots of teams have players injured and maybe more than normal," Emery said.

This admission follows an initial reaction from the three-time UEFA Europa League winner as he was a little more blasé a week or so ago. "I don't know how I can respond about it because my 'Super League' is the Premier League," Emery said on December 21.

Not only was the new ESL manifesto set in motion recently, but also an expanded Champions League, as well as a bigger Club World Championship. Burnley are very unlikely to ever feature in those particular competitions if they were to come to fruition but Kompany still has more than enough weight behind his words.

The former Manchester City captain, who won the Premier League title four times, said: "I was part of FIFPro, the head of the player's union not so long ago. My opinion is really clear. I think it's good for the game – I'm not against more games. I just think you have to cap the number of games each player can play."