PREMIER LEAGUE RODGERS: I HAVE TO REST VARDY
Leicester manager pleads for proper winter break
Rodgers was highly critical of the Premier League’s first winter break, which will see matches staggered across the weekends of February 8-9 and 15-16.
Leicester are off on the first weekend but play at Wolves on February 14, which is a Friday.
There is also the matter of FA Cup fourth-round replays, with the ties scheduled for the final weekend in January. The Foxes, who travel to Manchester City today, have to endure a run of five games in 15 days.
When Rodgers was at Celtic, he enjoyed a clear three-week pause from the action. He said: ‘It’s “Let’s pretend to have a break”. It’s disappointing to say the least.
‘And we’re playing on a Friday night, which is incredible really when you consider it’s supposed to be a period when the players can recover.
‘It’s certainly not a mid- season break. This year they’ve wanted to do it, and they’ve had a little play at it. Hopefully next season they can do a proper break.’
The intensity of the Christmas and new year fixtures, plus the short winter break, has left Rodgers feeling he has no option but to rotate his squad over the festive period. Only Wolves have a shorter turnaround than the 45 hours and 30 home Boxing West minutes Ham clash Day on between December with and Liverpool their Leicester’s 28. trip on to
play Asked all four whether games, Vardy Rodgers could said: ‘No chance. The game is about money now. You can’t say it’s about the welfare of players.
‘We’re playing at 8pm on the 26th then on the 28th we are playing at 5.30pm. We’ll have a busy January — which is brilliant, that’s what you want. You want to succeed and play lots of games — but the players aren’t robots. It’s not a computer game. ‘In terms of recovery, it is the second day after a game that is really tough for a player. We’re kicking off at 5.30pm at West Ham. It’s just nonsense, really.’ When the introduction of a winter break was announced last year, Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: ‘It’s very positive and really a mark of much-improved working relationships between the Premier League and FA.’