It's not a weak excuse this time
DON'T BLAME BOSSES IF STARS SIT OUT CUP
IT will be fascinating to see how watered-down the FA Cup third round is this weekend.
This column is predicting we’ll see some of the weakest Premier League sides ever fielded in the competition.
And it will be difficult to blame bosses of the top clubs for their selections.
In years to come, the way Premier League players have been exhausted will be treated with dismay.
From tomorrow, the top six will be playing their third game in between six and eight days.
Tottenham come off worst. They are at home to Wimbledon on Sunday having played away at Swansea on Tuesday and against West Ham at Wembley last night.
For leaders Manchester City it is three in seven days, as it is for Manchester United and Liverpool.
Chelsea and Arsenal enjoy a comparative feet-up time with their trio of games coming in eight days.
No doubt there’ll be people saying, “They are on huge wages so don’t grumble”.
Also, there will be references to how years ago, teams turned out 24 hours after a cup tie when replays went on and on – Alvechurch and Oxford City needed five of them in a first round tie in 1971. And 11 players completed all 11 hours of the six games staged across 17 days. But the point is superstars these days are trained to an extremely high level. They are supreme athletes who run much faster and further than ever before. As with racehorses, such intensity can lead to injury. No trainer in his right mind sends out a thoroughbred worth a fortune for race after race. And the dearest colt sold at auction – The Green Monkey at £12m in 2004 – cost less than an average Premier League full-back. Of course, it’s all down to the demands of TV, who splash the cash so clubs can pay these ridiculous fees and wages. But if this goes on, the chances are we will be seeing these stars break down and get injuries, depriving paying fans of the chance to watch the best there is. There is also, of course, a duty of care to players as there is with any employee. Understandably, they want to play for as long they can. Last weekend City boss Pep Guardiola called the fixture squeeze “a disaster” for his players, the day after Stoke manager Mark Hughes said all the science proves players need more than 48 hours to recover. There is the usual manager moaning, but in this case they have justification for their anger.