[Football] Too many games

amexer · Apr 11, 2024

Apart from few top players in Europe and Internationals always feel PL clubs moan to much about this including DeZerbi. Just read Leicester have played 49 games this season and Kompany who was not moaning saying Burnley had had 6 midweek games this season compared to 16 last season.
Would be interesting to see comparison in hours played by PL players and lower league players.

Zeus · Apr 11, 2024

The playing too many games mantra is used as a pre emptive excuse more often than not imo. RDZ was moaning about it when we’d only played one or two midweek games. Villa didn’t rotate anything like we did, I didn’t hear Emri moaning much, and it doesn’t seem to have done them much harm.

pasty · Apr 11, 2024

Professional elite athletes moaning about playing two games of football a week. My heart bleeds for the poor little lambs.

tigertim68 · Apr 11, 2024

Yep RDZ was moaning before we even started in Europe , and was rotating at the beginning of the season , and to me with all the injuries we got was a waste of time

nickbrighton · Apr 11, 2024

I think a big part of the problem for the european and international players isnt so much the number of games itself, but the fact that they rarely get a proper off season. With delayed Euros. world cup, nations league etc and then pre season tours, some of the "top" players havent had a proper break since Covid.

With effectivly no proper "down time" to recover properly the current crop must be physically knackered, bodies not given time to recover from minor or ebven serious injuries. The cumulative effect must be substantial, and I think contributing to the huge injury problems that most clubs have had recently

With the Euros coming up in the summer, players will once again not get a full break, and so will start the next season carrying a few knocks, strains etc and so the cycle starts again. Come the end of next season I can see the same massive injury lists as this

Anger · Apr 11, 2024

nickbrighton said:
With effectivly no proper "down time" to recover properly the current crop must be physically knackered.

They sound like cart horses.

And I thought I was watching cart horses 26 years ago.

A1X · Apr 11, 2024

My challenge to any manager who starts whinging about this is “OK, then ask your club owners to withdraw from European competition” (it’s always managers of clubs playing in Europe) and see how far they get

el punal · Apr 11, 2024

Zeus said:
The playing too many games mantra is used as a pre emptive excuse more often than not imo. RDZ was moaning about it when we’d only played one or two midweek games. Villa didn’t rotate anything like we did, I didn’t hear Emri moaning much, and it doesn’t seem to have done them much harm.

Villa haven’t had the problem of players being injured as we have. Every manager of every PL club will have a moan if things aren’t going their way - it’s not an exclusively Brighton trait.

el punal · Apr 11, 2024

Anger said:
They sound like cart horses.

And I thought I was watching cart horses 26 years ago.

Are you a neigh sayer?

Herr Tubthumper · Apr 11, 2024

nickbrighton said:
I think a big part of the problem for the european and international players isnt so much the number of games itself, but the fact that they rarely get a proper off season. With delayed Euros. world cup, nations league etc and then pre season tours, some of the "top" players havent had a proper break since Covid.

With effectivly no proper "down time" to recover properly the current crop must be physically knackered, bodies not given time to recover from minor or ebven serious injuries. The cumulative effect must be substantial, and I think contributing to the huge injury problems that most clubs have had recently

With the Euros coming up in the summer, players will once again not get a full break, and so will start the next season carrying a few knocks, strains etc and so the cycle starts again. Come the end of next season I can see the same massive injury lists as this

Other countries do have proper down time though. Germany has a lengthy break in the winter, I think this is currently 4 weeks plus they only play 34 games in the Bundesliga.

Affy · Apr 11, 2024

I understand the mental fatigue may be an issue on top of the travelling, especially if you’ve lost. Having to get home and rest, reset and get in a positive frame of mind, go training and get up to speed for 3 games in 8 days is probably very tough. But….

it isn’t every week.
it ISN’T 3 games a week. It is 3 games in 8 days or 2 games a week.

I know it probably wouldn’t work logistically but why not try to have all the European teams play each other after a European game.
eg, we have City the Sunday after Europe League/Champions league midweek - both english teams away so both have travelling to contend with, both have limited rest time etc.
we have Liverpool the Sunday the next time.

It can’t be that hard to know the dates of Europa league and Champions league fixtures, the teams competing and work the PL fixtures accordingly.
But I also believe in Father Christmas, believe VAR will eventually come good and got £1 from the tooth fairy recently.

US Seagull · Apr 11, 2024

Phew, for a minute there I feared I might be called out for my Steam backlog.

Jim in the West · Apr 11, 2024

I have some sympathy with RDZ - it’s not just the extra games, it’s the travel. Four of our eight Europa League games obviously involved overseas travel. A bit different to Leicester having to get on a coach for a couple of hours. And the extra games can be coped with if you have a full squad. Especially when it’s a pretty strong squad in the first place (eg: Man City, Arsenal, and even Villa). Ourselves and Newcastle have been hit pretty hard with both the travel and horrendous injuries. Hardly surprising that RDZ and Smug Eddie have moaned a lot.

Reddleman · Apr 11, 2024

We entered the league cup one round later and went out one round earlier than last season - 2 less games.

We went out of the FA Cup two rounds earlier - 2 less games.

8 games in Europe.

So in total we have only played four extra games this season compared to last.

The extra games rationale for poor form has been overused.

Weststander · Apr 11, 2024

el punal said:
Villa haven’t had the problem of players being injured as we have. Every manager of every PL club will have a moan if things aren’t going their way - it’s not an exclusively Brighton trait.

Yep, and a £600m squad, hence the vast accounts losses.

Emery has been spoilt by the owners.

A silly comparison with us.

Harry Wilson's tackle · Apr 11, 2024

tigertim68 said:
Yep RDZ was moaning before we even started in Europe , and was rotating at the beginning of the season , and to me with all the injuries we got was a waste of time

De Zrebi OUT!!!

We need a competant manager to takes us too the next levil.

Sort it out Knight, you dick.

FFS

Bry Nylon · Apr 11, 2024

Reddleman said:
...in total we have only played four extra games this season compared to last.

Plus you might as well take off Luton (away), making it only 3 extra games

BrightonCottager · Apr 11, 2024

I don't hear the current Fulham players who remain from our Championship yoyo years complaining about too many games in the EPL, even the ones who get picked for their national sides. It seems the preserve of the 'bigger' club prima donnas.

cheesy77 · Apr 11, 2024

I thought about this as well, the 46 game championship season vs 38 premier league.

Part of it though is when we've played in Europe on a Thursday and come up against an opponent who is not in Europe on the Sunday, who have had a week or 8 days to rest and prepare. Maybe it's more that than comparing to a football league team

Justice · Apr 11, 2024

tigertim68 said:
Yep RDZ was moaning before we even started in Europe , and was rotating at the beginning of the season , and to me with all the injuries we got was a waste of time

He has made mistakes this season that’s for sure the goal keeper rotation didn’t work resting players didn’t work as they struggle to find any rhythm.

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