There are a lot of prominent figures within football saying that the players are playing far too many games, and the plans for the future will not put their minds at ease.
Calciomercato.com recall the words uttered a few days ago by Pep Guardiola , the Manchester City head coach who had to juggle multiple competitions to win a historic treble in 2023.
“This is how we play so much in the season, that I no longer train the team. In the last seven years, I have practically not trained. We don’t train. At most 25 minutes a day,” he said. In August he even went so far as to say: ” Too many matches? The players should go on strike.”
Maurizio Sarri and Jose Mourinho have voiced their concerns in Serie A, while Stefano Pioli said a week ago: “There are too many games which are not good for the players’ health and for the show.”
From next season onwards, things could get worse. The Calciomercato.com report highlights how a top team could play as many as 71 games in 2024-25.
➤ 38 Serie A matchdays (+1 possible play-off for Scudetto/relegation).
➤ Five matches in the Coppa Italia (round of 16 and quarter-finals, home and away semi-finals, final).
➤ 2 matches in the Italian Super Cup (in the Final Four, semi-finals and finals).
➤ 17 matches in the new Champions League (eight matches in the group stage, two play-offs in case of failure to directly access the round of 16, round of 16 two legs, quarter final two legs, semi final trip, two legs, final).
➤ European Super Cup (if the team we take into consideration as an example had won the Champions League, they would also have to play in the European Super Cup).
➤ 7 matches in the new FIFA Club World Cup (every four years, first edition in June-July 2025, at the end of the 2024-25 season: three matches in the group stage, round of 16 match, quarter-final match, semi-final match, final).
➤ Tota: 70 matches (71 in the event of a play-off in Serie A).
The team is 25 players, not 11. I don’t see a problem with this, but if you have deadwood on bench or the coach can’t manage 25 players properly, that is the issue.