Do fotballers play too many games during a season?

[Code]

This week it came as a shock for the public in Norway when Fredrik Aursnes ( Benfica) said no to further games for Norway. Aursnes is only 28 years old. 
 

Numbers from FIFPRO now show that no other player in Europe have played more games than Aursnes this season. The discussion after Aursnes decision have been interesting, most journalists, players and coaches that have been asked about it seem to have a good understanding of his decision and now ask the question if enough is enough.

 

We have got more and more international games with the National League and now UEFA also wants to increase the European games for the teams and players in the top teams. 
 

Have we now reached the limit for how much we can expect from the players and how far they can push their bodies?
 

For Aursnes personally he has been playing at the top level since he was 16, he’s the younger player to ever win the Norwegian Cup final at the age of 16 years and 350 days. 

Games and minutes:

50: Fredrik Aursnes, Benfica and Norway (4369 min).

49: John McGinn, Aston Villa and Scotland (4075)

48: James Tavernier, Rangers (4603), Kerem Aktürkoglu, Galatasaray and Turkey (3820), Darwin Nuñez, Liverpool and Uruguay (3126)

47: David Hancko, Feyenoord and Slovakia (4417), Federico Valverde, Real Madrid and Uruguay (3995), llkay Gündogan, Barcelona and Germany (3925), Phil Foden, Manchester City and England (3871), Rodrygo, Real Madrid and Brazil (3637), Georgios Masouras, Olympiakos and Greece (3279)

 

https://fifpro.org/en/

 

 

[Scott_M]

Yes and with new / expanding European formats, Super Club formats, Club World Cup formats, International competition formats, it’s not going to get any better for the top clubs and players. 

[Jairzinho]

International football -

 

[Trumo]

Yes they do. Except Thiago.

[Torvald Utne]

No, it's pissing around playing football for 90 minutes once or twice a week

[Lee909]

At the very top level yes. 

It's OK saying players in the past played the same amount of games but not at close the same intensity and pace. Also look at the state of them older players, they are fucked, bad knees and hips etc. 

 

The international games especially are the major issue as they don't allow for much flexibility. A 18 team league and possibly clubs in Europe not taking part in the league Cup would sort it out. But less games should mean less wages but the players won't have that, and most of the league won't vote for 18 teams so nothing changes. Especially with FIFA now holding this world club cup out of season and yet more summers with no rest for players

[kemskem]

We play 4 more league games than Bundesliga players and have an extra domestic Cup competition and they still say they play too many games don’t they? As Klopp says, it’s hard to say the schedule is designed for you to be successful in everything.

[El Rojo]

4 hours ago, Jairzinho said:

International football -

 

The tournaments can be enjoyable. Particularly the Euros once it hits the knock-out stages.

 

The number of friendlies is a bad joke though, and I still don’t know what the Nations League is. 

[El Rojo]

In answer to the original question, there are far too many games.
 

As great as it is, Klopp’s game is also more attritional than what a lot of players experience. 
 

Also, players spending a week or ten days training in a different regime undoubtedly contributes to our constant injury problems. 

[Jairzinho]

13 minutes ago, El Rojo said:

The tournaments can be enjoyable. Particularly the Euros once it hits the knock-out stages.

 

The number of friendlies is a bad joke though, and I still don’t know what the Nations League is. 

 

I'd do two things. 

 

Firstly, ban friendlies. Completely unnecessary. 

 

Secondly, January can be a block for internationals - no other International breaks during the season. You could play five or six games, and in a two year cycle this would be more than enough for tournament qualification. 

 

Having three international breaks before November has finished, so England can play qualifiers against Andorra, Estonia and Moldova, plus three friendlies, is fucking ridiculous. 

[3 Stacks]

The injury issue nowadays is that you have these teams of freaks like ours who run 35 kmph and at the very highest level, the expectation now is that you have to get like 90 points every season.

 

So if you want to do that, you have to suffocate opposition, and if you want to do that, the players need to run and sprint like psychos. And then at the speed these players go now, the bodies often break down.

 

That's what Klopp hates with the games; if you strive to win every game in your league and win the Champions League, with the intensity that this requires, every other game on top of that/the cramping of schedules is basically just an opportunity for someone to get injured because the type of athlete now is pushing the boundaries of their bodies.

[Strontium]

There's not too many games, the squads are just too small.

[El Rojo]

. 

[El Rojo]

39 minutes ago, Jairzinho said:

 

I'd do two things. 

 

Firstly, ban friendlies. Completely unnecessary. 

 

Secondly, January can be a block for internationals - no other International breaks during the season. You could play five or six games, and in a two year cycle this would be more than enough for tournament qualification. 

 

Having three international breaks before November has finished, so England can play qualifiers against Andorra, Estonia and Moldova, plus three friendlies, is fucking ridiculous. 

The whole 136 teams qualifying for the World Cup and 86 for the Euros doesn’t help either.

 

The best World Cups had 24 teams.

[Code]

1 hour ago, El Rojo said:

The tournaments can be enjoyable. Particularly the Euros once it hits the knock-out stages.

 

The number of friendlies is a bad joke though, and I still don’t know what the Nations League is. 

The Nations League needs to fuck off, what a completely idiotic concept. 
 

Why the clubs not are up in arms about it I’ll never know.

[Bjornebye]

I’d happily play twice a day for the money they’re on. 

[Jairzinho]

45 minutes ago, El Rojo said:

The whole 136 teams qualifying for the World Cup and 86 for the Euros doesn’t help either.

 

The best World Cups had 24 teams.

 

You say that now but when Botswana are playing against Nepal for the fourth time in the group stages of the 2042 world cup you'll be glued to the telly. 

[Code]

Wrong thread. 

[Code]

24 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

I’d happily play twice a day for the money they’re on. 

I was waiting for who would be the first to mention the money, a fair argument off course, but they do a bit more than play games. 
 

They probably stay at Melwood most of the day like a normal worker if I’m not much mistaken. 

[Torvald Utne]

Poor bastards

[VladimirIlyich]

2 minutes ago, Code said:

I was waiting for who would be the first to mention the money, a fair argument off course, but they do a bit more than play games. 
 

They probably stay at Melwood most of the day like a normal worker if I’m not much mistaken. 

They do about 4 hours but can do other stuff if injured. Endorsements,meet and greet,media interviews also take up a hell of a lot of their time but that's where a lot of money comes from. Trips abroad and away games also fill their days.

[Bjornebye]

24 minutes ago, Code said:

I was waiting for who would be the first to mention the money, a fair argument off course, but they do a bit more than play games. 
 

They probably stay at Melwood most of the day like a normal worker if I’m not much mistaken. 

I could kick a ball twice and hit Melwood. 
 

We moved from Melwood a couple of years ago. 

[Carvalho Diablo]