Football (Soccer) Thread

[Norgy]

If they're on the national team, how many matches does a fodboller play each year?  The schedule seems exhausting.

Competitive games can get up to 60. This is the main reasoning behind szieable, expensive squads for rotation.
Depending on if there is an international competition like the European Championship, African Cup of Nations, Copa America or World Cup.

I think it shows that fitness levels are beyond what they were at any point before, but so is the medical teams supporting each club.

There aren't much hanging around at pubs after matches these days. For the players.

I'm becoming more and more sceptical of these developments as there is something of an inflation of games. How many European competitions are there now? Four? I can't tell you who won last year's Europa League.

[Tamas]

[Gups]

Apparently some players played more than 70 games last season.

https://www.fifpro.org/en/supporting-players/health-and-performance/player-workload

[Josquius]

If they're on the national team, how many matches does a fodboller play each year?  The schedule seems exhausting.

Competitive games can get up to 60. This is the main reasoning behind szieable, expensive squads for rotation.
Depending on if there is an international competition like the European Championship, African Cup of Nations, Copa America or World Cup.

I think it shows that fitness levels are beyond what they were at any point before, but so is the medical teams supporting each club.

There aren't much hanging around at pubs after matches these days. For the players.

I'm becoming more and more sceptical of these developments as there is something of an inflation of games. How many European competitions are there now? Four? I can't tell you who won last year's Europa League.

Honestly my 'feeling' is kind of the opposite on Euro competitions.
I remember back in the 90s it seemed there was a bunch of European competitions and they were all quite respected and followed.
These days there's the champions league and the Europa league as a sort of second class CL failure's competition.

May just be my small c football conservatism coming through but I would like if we return back to that- could also help bring some value back to the FA Cup if the cup winners cup actually demanded winning it (or at least being runner up if the league champion does the double)

Checking up there's also the UEFA Conference League at the moment. Now that I read about it I vaguely remember hearing about it in the past when West Ham won but it had completely dropped out of my mind.

The nations league is of course stupid and needs to be just dropped.

[garbon]

+1

[Norgy]

Why do you think the lie down and cry so easily on the pitch? They are clearly over-worked.
Show some solidarity, there are limits to what 150.000 pounds a week can buy. 

[Valmy]

I don't think anybody is feeling sorry for them but rather is playing that many games hurting the sport in some way.

Granted these guys aren't exactly playing American Football out there. The NBA guys play many more games so I don't know. I don't play dozens of soccer games every year so I don't know the physical toll.

[Josquius]

I would argue against the moans of man city et al about playing too many games - that's the point.
You shouldn't be firing on full across all competitions. Trying to win everything should be costing you more than if you focussed on one thing.
However that doesn't help the top players they're trying to make play a bazillion minutes a season.
I wonder whether a rule about max game time players can play in a season might be an approach worth considering?

[Norgy]

So, Norway is playing away against Kazakhstan, you know, that well-known European country not at all bordering all sorts of other -stans and being well into Asia, in the UEFA Nations League. The TV production is apparently Kazakh, because a few dubious penalty decisions have not been shown in replay. 

[Josquius]

The AFC is a nonsensical mess. I'm not surprised they'd rather be in UEFA really.

[Norgy]

And it was a glorious 0-0 draw, such a delight for the neutrals. Haaland looked more likely to be stolen as a wife of some of the defenders than scoring, and Ødegaard had five Cossacks around him at all times.

[crazy canuck]

 

[HVC]

Canada beat the US in an away game for the first time in 67 years. It was a friendly, but I'll take it.