Kylian Mbappe has agreed with Jurgen Klopp’s belief of footballers being involved in too many matches each season.
Klopp has been a continued critic of the modern demands placed on players, whom he believes are being worked into the ground by having to take part in an ever-increasing list of international and domestic fixtures.
The development of the UEFA Nations League and next season’s expanded Champions League format have done little to ease this issue, instead only adding more games to the calendar, and the Liverpool boss has raised concerns on multiple occasions over the impact this is having as regards injuries.
Speaking in January 2020 about this topic, the German said: “I told what I had to say to UEFA personally, I told FIFA sometimes in interviews because I don’t know anyone there and I don’t think the Premier League, FA or Football League are in any doubt of my opinion. I just do that not because of me but because I think someone has to speak for the players.
“The boys last night [in the 2-0 win over Sheffield United] ran 13 kilometres—13 kilometres to win a Premier League game—and I cannot tell them ‘come on, try to run 11km so you will be fine for the next game’.”
“We’re approaching the NBA model of 70-game seasons,” the Paris Saint-Germain star told GQ. “Personally, I’m not against playing that many matches, but we won’t be able to be good every time and give the public the spectacle they expect.”
This candid admission from one of football’s brightest stars underscores the dilemma of maintaining high performance amidst an increasingly demanding schedule.
“I don’t want to preach, but we need to think together about how to offer the best possible solution so that players, spectators, and football’s governing bodies can all embrace it.”
Touching on the topic of his future in the French capital, amid links to Liverpool and Real Madrid, Mbappe added: “Many great players who have shaped the history of football have left Europe this summer and we are entering a new era.
It’s become part of the cycle of this sport and at some point it will be my turn to leave. I’m not worried about these changes. I’m simply thinking about continuing my career and following my own path.”
READ MORE…
