Ange Postecoglou has called on football’s congested schedule to be addressed, declaring it is getting to a “real dangerous level” in support of outspoken Tottenham star Son Heung-min.
Son said in his pre-game press conference ahead of Spurs’ Europa League opener against Qarabag that the FA, FIFA and UEFA have to take the issue “really seriously”, with his plea coming in the wake of suggestions last week that players could strike as a result of it.
Manchester City’s Rodri made that claim ahead of his team’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal, where he suffered a likely season-ending ACL injury.
Tottenham is scheduled to play Manchester United just three days after the clash with Qarabag, prompting both Son and Postecoglou to join the chorus of players and coaches urging change to the current schedule.
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Otherwise, Postecoglou warned players “may take things into their own hands”.
“They’re the ones most affected to be honest,” he told reporters.
“So you would understand if they started to think as a collective, how much are we going to have to continually not have a say in?
“I have spoken already about the fact we’re getting to a real dangerous level about what our expectations are around players. Instead of focusing on one or two tournaments, it’s about the calendar. That is more of an issue.
“Players don’t get a break between seasons any more like they used to. There are more tournaments both at club level, international level and continental level.
“So, it’s going to get to a point where we are not going to have the best players out there playing and even worse them breaking down for various reasons. It’s definitely something that needs to be addressed.”
Son, meanwhile, said it is not a matter of the players not wanting to take part in games.
Instead, he simply argued there is not enough flexibility with the current schedule and that as it stands, the risk of injury is “massive” for players.
“You don’t want to see players struggling with injuries. No one wants to see it,” Son said.
“A lot of games, a lot of travelling. We’ve got to look after ourselves, which sometimes is very hard.
“Mentally, physically, you’re not ready. Then going on to the pitch and then the risk of injury is massive. We’re not robots. Don’t get me wrong, we love playing football. That’s clear.
“It’s about adding more games. City played Sunday and Tuesday and it wasn’t even flexible. It could be moved probably to play Wednesday instead of Tuesday. It’s not flexible. That’s what we’re talking about.
“It’s normal that everyone is at high risk of injury. It’s not fair. Rodri said the right things. We play 50, 60 games and not more than 70 games. When the fixtures come, the players have to play. There’s a lot going on.
“… There’s way too many games and what you want to see is the quality of the games. High quality games with top players. This should be the aim.”
While Postecoglou was adamant football authorities do need to look at the growing football schedule, he also clarified he is a “big backer of the European competition” and “really pleased” to be back.
“I said last year there was a gap in our calendar that didn’t help us at certain times of the year — not having that regular football and the challenge of playing different types of opposition and exposing the squad,” added Postecoglou.
“The worst thing was sitting around watching other teams. It didn’t sit well with me, so I’m a big backer of European competitions.”
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