Atletico Madrid star Marcos Llorente has joined Jules Kounde, Aurelien Tchouameni and many more in asking for a reduction in the number of games that players are being asked to play.
This comes off the back of a batch of injuries during the international break, including the loss of several stars, most notably Eduardo Camavinga, Vinicius Junior and Gavi. Speaking to Diario AS, Llorente said that those complaints were the logical conclusion.
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“Well, I think so. In the end you are seeing all the injuries that are occurring this year. When a star gets injured it affects football, La Liga and any competition, because many people watch football for a footballer and will stop doing so. I’m not the one to say it, but it would be nice to take another look at all of this and look for the benefit for everyone, both players and competitions. Because I imagine that the competitions will want the ‘top’ footballers to be available.”
Llorente’s comments come in the wake of the demands on players becoming a central talking point, and stars from the others in the big three in La Liga, including Aurelien Tchoumeni have also complained of the schedule.
“Obviously, we’re playing too many matches. It’s leading to injuries. At some point, the players should do or say something,” Tchouameni had complained last month, ahead of his fractured metatarsal.
“We get the impression that it’s not going to get any better with new competitions. Something has to be done. When it’s too much, it becomes a problem.”
Meanwhile Jules Kounde has also missed a month of action through a muscle problem, and he referenced his compatriot on CliqueTV.
“Tchouameni said it as well – there are too many games. The rhythm has become more and more intense now, and what bothers me is that when we point this out, people say that we used to play so much. That does not mean that was a good thing.”
“We are moving into a situation where there are more and more injuries.”
It appears that until FIFA, UEFA or the clubs agree to earn less money, they will flog the players as much as possible. Alternatively, the players could unionise and go on strike, but in such a fickle business, where a tiny percentage are earning enough money to set them up for decades to come, this too looks like a long shot.
