Probably because one bad injury due to overplaying could be the end of their very short career.
The Spanish league also has a winter break + plays one less competition than the English league.
The season's schedule - it's madness right?
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The Spanish league also has a winter break + plays one less competition than the English league.
But but but I have tickets........
Seriously though can see the multi city format being thrown out the window.
Yeah the smaller clubs are going to have the hardest time. Pretty sure we’ll see more injuries this season.
City would have the biggest advantage because of their squad and Liverpool because of their games after lockdown. Reckon it’ll be one of those two who win again.
This is why I hope we buy 3/4 players this window, but it looks unlikely to happen.
City would have the biggest advantage because of their squad and Liverpool because of their games after lockdown. Reckon it’ll be one of those two who win again.
This is why I hope we buy 3/4 players this window, but it looks unlikely to happen.
The compressed schedule all but guarantees more injuries and rotations. For youngsters trying to break into the first team this season will be a once in a lifetime opportunity at game time. For everyone else, it’s a nightmare.
Anyone think a lot of teams will just play their u21s in the FA Cup and Carling Cup?
Even if that happens (which it won't) football will probably carry on in a bubble now they have the resources to test en mass.
Leicester carried on hosting games despite the City in lockdown.
Every organisation is going to want their slice, including UEFA. You can't anticipate any party acting in the best interests of the players or of public health.
Personally, I'd rather the suits sacked off all domestic cup competitions than got rid of one of the already-rare international tournaments.
Would be easier if International football was just scrapped until November or even early next year.
What is the point of the nations league in this climate? Competition with little history and leads to very little except for one or two play offs for the euros/world cup.
Having to play 8 nations league games between September-November is completely ridiculous. I could understand the need more if it was euros play offs (which I think has been moved back a year to March 2021) and don't think any continental WCQs are happening either, Commebol has been pushed back until October and not sure they'll even start then unless they get switched to europe.
It's a big miss and you lose three weekends and more midweeks having to cram nations league in.
Edit: No idea when the euro qualifiers for world cup 2021 is going to start but that will have to be crammed into the following season (aswell as the South American ones) so they'll be knock on impact into 21-22 aswell.
As ironic as it is that's one good thing about the world cup actually being in November, gives the flexibility to finish things off in summer 2022 if needs be.
What is the point of the nations league in this climate? Competition with little history and leads to very little except for one or two play offs for the euros/world cup.
Having to play 8 nations league games between September-November is completely ridiculous. I could understand the need more if it was euros play offs (which I think has been moved back a year to March 2021) and don't think any continental WCQs are happening either, Commebol has been pushed back until October and not sure they'll even start then unless they get switched to europe.
It's a big miss and you lose three weekends and more midweeks having to cram nations league in.
Edit: No idea when the euro qualifiers for world cup 2021 is going to start but that will have to be crammed into the following season (aswell as the South American ones) so they'll be knock on impact into 21-22 aswell.
As ironic as it is that's one good thing about the world cup actually being in November, gives the flexibility to finish things off in summer 2022 if needs be.
I'd agree with binning off the NL for many of the same reasons. Doubly so if it meant the Euros went ahead. I would like at least one international tournament this season. It's ridiculously (though not unexpectedly) greedy for UEFA to try to keep both under the circumstances.
But everyone wants their slice and isn't willing to give an inch, especially not for the sake of human health. That's why none of the tournaments will be cancelled: with different organisers all acting in their own self-interest, none of them are going to cancel unilaterally.
The problems of globalised late capitalism and corrupt football governance are exposed once again.
Totally agree @FootballHQ in scrapping the nation's league this year.
I'd also say that the 7 European sides should enter in Last 16 of the League Cup rather than the Last 32 (saves one fixture for them, +1 fixture for everyone else)
And the 7 European sides should enter in the Last 32 rather than the Last 64 (saves one fixture for them, adds one or two for others depending how you do it)
Honestly the way the schedule is right now, it's not going to be completed. We need the dummy weeks to give this season a chance
I'd also say that the 7 European sides should enter in Last 16 of the League Cup rather than the Last 32 (saves one fixture for them, +1 fixture for everyone else)
And the 7 European sides should enter in the Last 32 rather than the Last 64 (saves one fixture for them, adds one or two for others depending how you do it)
Honestly the way the schedule is right now, it's not going to be completed. We need the dummy weeks to give this season a chance
Just scrap the two cups competition.
Why not!
Why not!
All the teams playing EL and CL are seriously fecked. The other teams are in full preparation while the former are still fighting.
Chelsea start pre-season on Friday. Kinda mad!
I expect an open floodgate of loans supplied by the top teams to the small teams.
Another open floodgate of more youth transitioning into the first teams across all teams.
Could be an interesting unique season.
Clubs and footballers who took care of their body the most wins.
Another open floodgate of more youth transitioning into the first teams across all teams.
Could be an interesting unique season.
Clubs and footballers who took care of their body the most wins.
Lucky for our club that our fans demand youngsters and we have loads of them. But we’ll drop loads of points in the process.
wont be able to playour first team very often as one member or another will always be in rested rotation.
That’s exactly what will happen
Why not?
They've actually delayed the plans to curb loans by a season (was supposed to come into effect this season).
I hope the English players in Europe will not be part of it.I can't believe that the Nations League is still going ahead. The first matchdays are 3-5 and 6-8 September and then the PL kicks off on the 12th September.
Denmark vs England is on the 8th September.
The CL qualification is already going on. It is madness.
They're all getting called up apparently although would surely make sense for them just to play the first game and then be released back to clubs straight after. Then the young ones who haven't played much for England like Foden and Grealish can get starts in the second match.
But how long do you expect the players to remain within their bubble. Already we have seen, games in french and scottish league postponed. And now 4 positive in Roma and Calgari.
There may not a complete shutdown of the league, but games are bound to be postponed due to positive tests or someone breaking quarantine and such.
Weren't the Celtic and Aberdeen prosponements more down to Nicola making an example of them because players broke the rules? Especially in Celtic's case.
Leicester recently went into lockdown and despite that the team were still allowed to play at The KP.
Unless a ridiculously high number test positive I imagine it's as you were from the rushed ending, quatentine the positives and let the negatives get on with it.
Definitely. Nation's League is going on ahead as planned. A competition that changed the rules post-tournament because Germany would have been relegated and now players will travel with their NT to play with no crowd and for the vast majority of teams the competition makes very little if any difference. Teams like France, England, Italy, Spain etc. should just play reserve players, give new call-ups.
I’m not usually one to come out with “PL footballers are so rich, what could they possibly be stressed about” clichés but they are all very rich and live in huge houses, with loads of home help. The weather was amazing during lockdown too. So I’d say they had a fairly restful time, all things considered.
Or the teams in Europe should be allowed not to compete due to the extra games.
How on earth do they manage to get all tournaments in? Should have removed the league cup and removed all FA cup replays.
That's what it is..
That’s not true at all though regarding all of them. There’s plenty of players who live in humble sized homes and don’t get extra help regarding things. There are a bunch of interviews from players discussing them homeschooling their children or from footballers that were in lockdown by themselves/with just their partner. You can have the biggest home in the world and still come out feeling super stressed due to the limited social activity you are having, especially with people who are involved in an extremely social sport.
They still were given club training routines to do daily and still had the same type of mental challenges we did, they weren't allowed to see friends and loved one's etc. Also on top of that they were faced with the possibility of having a large chunk of their career wiped out (in April there was every chance football was done for a year if not longer) something i imagine was hell for a fair chunk of players, if not the majority.
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I’m probably being a little harsh on them, to be fair. Still, though, it’s not all about mental stress. They will have benefitted, physically, from the downtime.
Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal,Chelsea had a nice break. City has the depth to compete . We will be the ones to be hit most - feck !
FA cup replays have been removed. League cup SFs will also be one leg, team drawn out first will play at home.
Frees up a bit more space in January at least for midweek rounds.
Bigger clubs will play more games though.
Some will, some won’t. Goalkeepers for example - their training will have suffered a lot at home by themselves.
Agree with what @Dancfc points out too about not knowing about when they’ll get to play again. It’s a limited career and could ruin someone financially if they weren’t careful pre-covid.
That explain things. I guess it is 3 rounds that are moved and European games from August too. I guess they end it 1-2 weeks later too than would normally be the case.
I think you're just reiterating how pampered the top players really are.
Obviously the highest earners push up the average wage in the PL but if I say the average earner is around 50k a WEEK I don't think I'd be too far off.
I would need around 2 years to earn that sort of money so when you say it doesn't matter what size home they live in they could become super stressed I just can't feel any sympathy for them.
I spent almost 3 months stuck in a flat with just my girlfriend with the added pressure of wondering if I had a job to go back to which just so happens I don't so when I hear players who earn more in a year than I will in my whole lifetime complain about fixture congestion then I think you can understand my attitude when I say I really could not give a feck.
Don't be surprised if the next few seasons see a substantially lower quality of football.
A lot of teams will start next season not properly rested from last season. They will then be expected to complete all the games they would under usual circumstances but in a shorter space of time.
In 2021 all the top players will end up playing in the Euros, the Copa America and the African Cup of nations.
It seems inevitable that the best players will be overplayed and develop injuries. Even if they don't, the ones who get furthest in international competition will have little vacation time.
Once that's done players will be looking forward to the 2022 World Cup, which will see more calendar changes to accommodate playing in winter.
After the 2022 Winter World Cup players will be expected to go back to their clubs and continue playing at a high level, domestically and in Europe.
Its mad. I fail to see how teams can maintain a high level in these circumstances.
IMO over the next few seasons the thing that is likeliest to affect performance are a) squad size and b) number of games. Big clubs who have big squads and sack off the domestic cup competitions are likeliest to get to May in good shape. However, even then, as these clubs have a lot of internationals they will still likely get injuries to their key players at the worst times for them.
A lot of teams will start next season not properly rested from last season. They will then be expected to complete all the games they would under usual circumstances but in a shorter space of time.
In 2021 all the top players will end up playing in the Euros, the Copa America and the African Cup of nations.
It seems inevitable that the best players will be overplayed and develop injuries. Even if they don't, the ones who get furthest in international competition will have little vacation time.
Once that's done players will be looking forward to the 2022 World Cup, which will see more calendar changes to accommodate playing in winter.
After the 2022 Winter World Cup players will be expected to go back to their clubs and continue playing at a high level, domestically and in Europe.
Its mad. I fail to see how teams can maintain a high level in these circumstances.
IMO over the next few seasons the thing that is likeliest to affect performance are a) squad size and b) number of games. Big clubs who have big squads and sack off the domestic cup competitions are likeliest to get to May in good shape. However, even then, as these clubs have a lot of internationals they will still likely get injuries to their key players at the worst times for them.
Season is destined to be a mess, but an unpredictable one. There will be plenty of injuries and surprises. From a Utd standpoint, I think we're a bit fecked.
Nations League still going ahead is an utter nonsense. Along with the league cup, and honestly I'd say FA cup too. Give them a rest for this season.
Nations League still going ahead is an utter nonsense. Along with the league cup, and honestly I'd say FA cup too. Give them a rest for this season.
I know it was only the bigger clubs advocating for the 5 subs to continue, but I at least think the teams have missed a trick not having more subs. Would have been good for young players. And I tend to think the 5 subs should have been continued just because of the circumstances.
It's a shame. Expect a lot more injuries and fatigue across all teams this season.
It's a shame. Expect a lot more injuries and fatigue across all teams this season.