Cesar Azpilicueta believes that the winter World Cup has already produced major problems with this season’s football before it has even begun.
In less than three weeks, the Premier League will be suspended while teams travel to Qatar for the carnival of international football, which will last six weeks.
Domestic leagues all around the world now have increasingly packed schedules leading up to major events.
Teams playing in European competitions in England will have played three matches per week for eight weeks straight by the time the final fixtures are played preceding the competition on November 12th and 13th.
Cesar Azpilicueta: “We are fighting for player welfare because the schedule is crazy. Sometimes we have to consider everything. We are in conversations with FIFA. It is difficult because I understand that the fans and everyone wants to see more football.”https://t.co/RDHqbWUtcR pic.twitter.com/gClituad2K
— Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) October 24, 2022
By that point, Chelsea will have played 14 matches in six weeks.
Given the already packed calendar that players are working with and the higher intensity of matches, with more European and international football, it is not surprising that player injuries are becoming more consistent.
Chelsea themselves have had a torrid couple of years with long-term injuries. Last season they had Reece James and Ben Chilwell out in long-term blows.
Callum Hudson-Odoi’s season effectively stopped short and Ruben Loftus-Cheek has battled for fitness ever since 2019.
What Did Azpilicueta Say?
Chelsea captain Azpilicueta has tried to explain the blows, saying, “It’s difficult and it’s sad because as players you want to go to the World Cup, but we have this schedule where we have to play for our club and do our best.
“We are fighting a lot for player welfare because the schedule is crazy.
“Sometimes we have to consider everything and I think we are in conversations with FIFA. It’s difficult because I understand that the fans want to see football.
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“We have five subs now but we have in our team a couple of injuries that make it more difficult to rotate. We are playing every few days, but it’s how it is and we have to step up.”
This has ultimately stemmed from a world where more football and an insatiable desire for more means that players are pushed into their red zones more often, making injuries more likely.
This season won’t go back to normal post-World Cup and there is no current idea what the repercussions might be from it.
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