Soccer
In England, football never takes a break, especially during the end-of-year holidays. The traditional “Boxing Day” on Tuesday is an eagerly awaited event, but it also highlights the risks associated with the demanding schedule for players.
On Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., Burnley will be playing their third match in just nine days. Defender Virgil van Dijk, captain of Liverpool, expressed the mental and physical challenges of such a schedule. He previously criticized the relentless pace, stating that players’ bodies are being exploited for financial gain.
For Liverpool, this will be their third match in seven days, starting with their League Cup quarter-final victory against West Ham on December 20 (5-1).
A Centuries-Old Tradition
The tradition of Boxing Day, celebrated on December 26, dates back to 1871 in the United Kingdom. It is believed that domestic workers were given a day off after Christmas, along with a box containing leftovers and gifts. This tradition quickly spread to football, with the first Boxing Day match between two professional clubs taking place in 1888, shortly after the establishment of the “First Division”. Today, it marks the beginning of a week of sales and is a highlight of the Premier League season, with three days of matches played in one week.
However, the intense schedule has led to some unusual scenes. After Manchester United’s defeat against West Ham on December 23 (0-2), coach Erik ten Hag split his press conference into two parts: the first to discuss the loss and the second to talk about the upcoming match against Aston Villa on Tuesday (9 p.m.). This highlights the tight turnaround between matches.
English clubs are faced with the challenge of balancing player health and sporting ambitions. The packed schedule leaves little time for training. Liverpool, for example, could only train for a total of 135 minutes over the previous ten days before their match against Arsenal on Saturday, which ended in a 1-1 draw, according to their coach Jürgen Klopp.
A Winter Marathon for English Clubs
In December, Liverpool will have played a total of eight matches before their first game of 2024 on January 1 against Newcastle. The following day, West Ham and Brighton will play their 58th match in just twenty-nine days. This demanding schedule began on December 5, with an average of two matches per day.
Although the Premier League will have a two-week break, it will be occupied by the FA Cup third round and the first leg of the League Cup semi-finals. Therefore, teams still in the running will not have a true break.
In France, the winter break will end on January 3, 2024, with the Champions Trophy match at the Parc des Princes. The Coupe de France will resume the following weekend, and Ligue 1 will return on January 13 and 14 for the first round of the second half of the season.