Unprecedented workload for players ahead of World Cup
Revealed: 25 games in three months raises concerns about burnout among England stars at top Premier League clubs
Premier League players will face unprecedented workloads amid the frantic rush to squeeze in fixtures before the World Cup starts in November.
Analysis by Telegraph Sport has revealed the extent of the extra burden being placed on top-flight players, given the changes brought to an already congested schedule by staging the World Cup in the winter.
The Premier League’s European representatives will be some of the worst affected. Those seven clubs are due to play, on average, almost seven more games between the start of the season on Aug 5 and Nov 12 – the final weekend before a six-week hiatus for the tournament – than the corresponding period last season.
West Ham United, for example, will have to play 25 games in three months – the most of any team in the top flight and eight more than the corresponding period last season when they were also in Europe.
Arsenal, who were not in Europe last term, face an additional nine games while champions Manchester City and Liverpool – whose managers, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, have been vocal critics in the past of football’s increasingly punishing schedules – will have six and seven more respectively.
Manchester United have an extra seven matches compared to the same period last season, Chelsea five more and Tottenham Hotspur an additional four games.
October will be the biggest pinch point, when those clubs each face nine fixtures, although international players will be spared any matches for their respective countries that month and play one fewer international fixture in September.
The Champions League and Europa League group stages – which involve each club playing six matches – are due to be concluded before the World Cup commences when, ordinarily, that would not be the case until the first week of December.
Clubs are also facing an additional five Premier League fixtures in this period compared to last season, despite the new campaign only due to start a week earlier than normal.
It is not just the European entrants who are impacted, though. Newcastle United and Crystal Palace both face an extra six matches compared to the same period last season, with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa and Everton braced to play five more, provided they reach the third round of the Carabao Cup,
Gareth Southgate has already warned that it could end up being one of the most arduous seasons
with those ties scheduled for Nov 8-9. Brighton, Brentford, Southampton and Leeds United face an extra four matches.
Only Leicester City face the same number of games (18) up to the break for the World Cup as last season, owing to them not being in European competition this time around.
The three promoted clubs, Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, will each play one fewer game than the same period last season when they were in the Championship.
On average, the 20 Premier League clubs – including the three newcomers – will be tasked with playing an additional five games over the three months to the pause for the World Cup than the corresponding period last term.
The worrying statistics will increase fears of the threat of player burnout. Kevin De Bruyne, the Manchester City midfielder, has been one of several high-profile players to criticise the unrelenting football calendar.
The traditional festive round of
Premier League matches between Boxing Day and New Year has been dropped from schedules in a move to ease worries about player fatigue after the World Cup. However, the workload facing Premier League players before the tournament could spark just as many concerns.
Players’ unions and Gareth Southgate, the England manager, have already warned that it could end up being one of the most arduous seasons for teams on record.
Fifpro has been demanding reform over the “excessive workloads” facing players. The global players’ union has been particularly concerned about the number of games in what is called the “critical zone”, which refers to two appearances of at least 45 minutes within less than five days.
Cumulative exposure to minutes in the critical zone can have a detrimental impact on a player’s health, performance and career longevity, according to Fifpro, which says 90 per cent of high-performance coaches are backing no more than 55 matches per season.