For
those of us that have grown up in the modern Sky Television age of the English
Premiership, the festive period has become a footballing asphyxiation for even
the most modest of soccer junkies. Memories of clinking glasses in Christmas
merriment while enjoying what seems like a daily installment of Premiership
action is conjured up by the mere commenting of "Boxing Day Special"
or "New Year Clash." Such is the media conglomerates' grip on the
English game it would seem that this ludicrously packed schedule isn't in any
hurry to leave, such is the viewing figures it commands. Yet what ramifications
does it pose upon those who are taking part in these games? We are of course
talking about highly paid professionals & highly structured football
organizations, surely they are built to handle a couple of games spread thin
across late December? If this truly is an isolated period of the year, could it
be conceivable that those opposed to its occupancy have credible concerns of
its long term affect on fatigue? In this piece I intend to delve deeper into
English footballs apathy toward a Winter Break, and the effect it poses on the
long term future of the game.
The
race for the Premier League title is well and truly underway, with Chelsea establishing
themselves as the early pace setters. Their consistent form & equally consistent
line up are two of the largest contributors to their table topping exploits,
however their mental & physical strength will be tested to the max over
this winter period. The boys from the Kings Road started their festive schedule
with a road trip to Stoke on Monday 22nd December. In 4 days time (26th
December) they are set to take the field once more with a home tie against West
Ham, followed by a trip to St.Marys on the 28th December to take on a buoyant
Southampton side. To finish this grueling run of matches they face Tottenham on
Jan 1st, in what has always been a tough encounter. Chelsea are no strangers to
taking part in multiple competitions & dealing with fixture congestion, but
to illustrate this clearly they play as many games in 10 days as they would
normally do so in 14. While numerically this amount of days may not appear
overly vast, the factor we must consider is that any chance of a suitable
recovery period this festive season is rendered almost impossible. It's
inevitable Chelsea will have to rotate their squad over this period, something
they've yet to really do this year, but even after significant changes I'm sure
they would still be able to field 11 international level footballers. While
this is by no means an ideal situation, the resources they have available to
them heighten their chances of success. At the other end of the financial
spectrum, what of clubs like Burnley & Leicester? Where are they able to
pull resources from? Smaller 1st team squad....smaller budget.....surely the
schedule itself is hurting this caliber of side even before a ball is kicked? Managers
of these teams cannot afford for their top players to miss games, simply
because the gap in talent is so vast between their starters & their support
staff. What they do share with the top level managers is the ever present
pressure to win games, therefore its habitually evident that players are pushed
to their limits. This results in prolonged fatigue & aggravated muscle
injuries, all contributing to a short term gain approach that really benefits no-one.
In what is consistently billed as the "Best league in the world", the
power brokers of our game must be able to see this period of games does very
little to enhance the quality of play or indeed provide each club with a level
playing field?
A
few short miles across the channel & the football that is played on
mainland Europe takes an all together different stance at this time of year. On
Saturday December 19th Bayern Munich triumphed 2-1 over a Mainz 05 side that
continues to elevate themselves amongst German footballs elite. Both teams now
enter a well deserved hiatus, that sees them resume league play on Friday
January 30th. 41 days of competition free activity will certainly go a long way
to mend injured limbs & relax fatigued bodies, but its the pro-longed
benefits of an end of season run that really breathes life into their campaign.
France's Ligue 1 & Spain's La Liga embark upon a similar rest period, although
resuming slightly earlier on January 10th. In the interest of balance it's
important to include that there are some leagues in central & eastern
Europe that continue throughout December, however all would pale in comparison
to the ferocity of the English Premier Leagues rigorous 4 games in 10 days schedule.
Looking at the bigger picture in terms of how these teams operate at the end of
the season, English sides have performed admirably in the circumstances. They
have had 7 Champions League finalists in 10 years & 2 Europa league
finalists in the same period. In comparison Spain have also recorded 9
finalists, 4 Champions league & 5 Europa league, however the major
difference between the rival countries has been their winning record. All of
Spain's representatives came out on top as cup winners, with England's elite
claiming only 4. Beyond club football the international arena is likely to give
us the fairest & clearest example of the after effects of the grueling
English winters schedule. Since 2002 England have yet to progress beyond the
quarter final stage of any major competition, & in 2008 failed to even
qualify for the European championships. Germany & Spain have both performed
significantly stronger during the summer months, reaching at minimum the
Semi-finals of each major competition. By analyzing these simple statistics its
clear to see that there has to be a correlation between England's league
calendar & the results of their team's performances out with league
competition. There has been colossal
strides made in the past decade in club's investment & usage of sports
science & medical data, however to what end is this trumped by simple burn
out. We can question ability levels & technical ability differences between
neighboring countries all day long, but when young English stars such as
Walcott, Sturridge, Wilshere & Oxlaide Chamberlain are consistently injured
surely we have to question our methods? Out with these cases, English players
are regularly participating in Champions League football, they clearly have the
quality, but when compared to their European counterparts do they have the
legs...the mental strength...the physical wherewithal when its ultimately
required most? Results would certainly argue they dont.
In
closing I think it's important to state that changing the Christmas calendar
wont suddenly right all of English footballs wrongs, but it would start a
mindset shift that is seriously needed in the English game. There is a greater
good that seems to be quickly discarded by almost everyone at the top level,
starting with those that are at the head of the game. Viewing figures &
sponsorship opportunities are intrinsic to the broadcast power in modern football,
but surely the moderators of the game itself could show some steel & demand
better? If 50% of the energy that was placed into marketing the Premiership
actually went into forming a competition that prolonged the season, surely everyone
would benefit from such efforts? Allied to this the high regard that both
league cup competitions are held in England, we are presented with a calendar
that stretches almost beyond 60 games. A figure that is simply physically
unsustainable. Cristiano Ronaldo played in a total of 49 games in the 2013/14
season, a campaign that saw him claim the Champions League title, play a
pivotal role in Real Madrid's La Liga season & participate in a World Cup.
In comparison Steven Gerrard, who played an equally pivotal role in Liverpool's
season, yet one that didnt include European competition, played in 51 games
during the same campaign. Looking back at England's performances in Brazil it was
clear that the squad simply didn't have the lung power or the physical strength
to deal with the demands of the South American humidity. Germany, whose climate
& year round weather system is similar to Britain, had very few issues
coping with such conditions. Their dynamic & counter attacking approach
seemed almost counter intuitive against the Brazilian back drop, yet they
managed to claim the title with devastating effect.
One
of the German stars clearly felt the brunt of the previous season, and along
the way did little to inspire the on looking public in his home land. Mesut
Ozil had been one of German footballs shining lights of the last decade, but
since making the transition to the English game has fell foul of the demands
required of him. The World Cup final was his 50th game of the season & this
after missing 7 weeks of the Arsenal season with a leg injury. The toll our
energy sapping season is taking on players is clear for all to see & where
there are the exceptions to this, such as Henry or Torres who have been able to
balance demands in the past, there are many more examples that show the Premiership
is doing little to progress our game overall. I write this piece with a heavy
heart, as my intent is not to embody the Christmas Grinch and spoil this time
of year; I too share in the public's delight of a prolonged premiership
cavalcade. Where I do feel we as supporters need to avert our attention is to
the summer months & the effect this accumulation of games has on those we
support. Take a moment this Christmas time to celebrate all that is great about
our game....community...togetherness...happiness...but also be clear that our
intent is to harbor this emotion throughout the year & eradicate those
moments when our star players are too limp to make that final dash...or our
captain is missing the game due to muscle fatigue. Even as an archetypal
neutral such as myself, I value competition over any commodity. Yet the grading
point of any contest is the strength each participant can attribute to. Let's
look beyond our simple pleasure of a packed football calendar at this time of
year & wish for a heightened level of success in 2015, that's a gift I'm
sure we'd all be delighted to receive.
"Success is not
achieved without strategy, whether it be of our own volition or studying the
traits of our opponent."
I'd
like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas & a very prosperous 2015. I
look forward to continuing this blog into the new year & the many fascinating
debates it may bring us in the future.
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