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Carney Chukwuemeka

Do top players play more football now than before? I'm not so sure. Remember the top division used to play 42 league games, on top of 2 cups, cup replays and Europe, with smaller squads and fewer substitutes.

Even right now in the Championship, Leagues 1 and 2 it's 46 league games usually with smaller squads.

 
Gonoir Beniashile said:
Do top players play more football now than before? I'm not so sure. Remember the top division used to play 42 league games, on top of 2 cups, cup replays and Europe, with smaller squads and fewer substitutes.

Even right now in the Championship, Leagues 1 and 2 it's 46 league games usually with smaller squads.
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The old top division might have played 42 games, etc, but at nothing like the tempo, hence demands, of today's football.

22/23 season, all competitions, a selection:

Bruno Fernandes 70 games

Bernardo Silva 67

Rodri 66

Modric 66

That's a ridiculous number of games.

 
dermott said:
The old top division might have played 42 games, etc, but at nothing like the tempo, hence demands, of today's football.

22/23 season, all competitions, a selection:

Bruno Fernandes 70 games

Bernardo Silva 67

Rodri 66

Modric 66

That's a ridiculous number of games.
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Sure is. In terms of club football Bruno Fernandes played 5164 minutes - that's huge. Going back 40 years and looking at a top midfielder playing in European competition, Graham Souness played 5327 minutes in 82/83. I wonder which one ran further in those seasons? I also wonder which one sunk the most pints 😂

 
Gonoir Beniashile said:
Do top players play more football now than before? I'm not so sure. Remember the top division used to play 42 league games, on top of 2 cups, cup replays and Europe, with smaller squads and fewer substitutes.

Even right now in the Championship, Leagues 1 and 2 it's 46 league games usually with smaller squads.
Click to expand...
It's interesting, I was comparing Liverpool's 84-85 season to their 21-22 season, and they actually played just as many games, 63. In 21-22 they played in 3 cup finals (fa cup, league cup, champions league) and they could have played more games in 84-85 if they didn't go out of the League Cup early.

So overall, there may actually be less games played now than before, at least at the very top. If you're playing in the Europa League, that can potentially increase it by quite a bit compared to how it was in the 80's when it was the UEFA Cup.

Here is what I think is making the biggest difference. Footballers today are pushing the human body to it's limit with training and fitness, I can remember Gascoigne with a bit of beer belly playing for England. Players were eating fry-ups and drinking champagne before games back in those days. Travelling during pre season can't be helping either. Training in different climates and pitches must be difficult. I also think the schedule today is a mess. The Premier League is Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, when it should be just Saturday and Sunday. FA Cup games are on Fridays and Mondays now too. 

The biggest problem of all though is the international tournaments. Back in the 80's, the Euro's only had 8 teams, so the tournament was much shorter which meant that most top players around the world were giving their bodies time to recover for the new season. Expanding it to 16 teams was the sweet spot, most tournaments would start June and end before July. It's very different today. We have 24 teams now and each of the last two European Championships has ended no earlier than July 10th. Then there is the World Cup. Scheduling during the World Cup has mostly remained the same, start June and finish mid July, teams have expanded in that time though from 24 in the 80's to 32 today. But it's the next world cup when things are going to get messy, 48 teams with the Final being played on July 19th! This is crazy. You now have two international tournaments finishing way into July. We also have the Nations League replacing friendles, which is yet another competitive tournament, and one that nobody asked for.

There is more to come though. The Club World cup starts in 2025, which means another tournament starting in June and ending in mid July.

The biggest issues are international football, scheduling, current competitions expanding and new competitions forming. By 2025, football will be pushing things way too far.

 
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Scott Harris said:
It's interesting, I was comparing Liverpool's 84-85 season to their 21-22 season, and they actually played just as many games, 63. In 21-22 they played in 3 cup finals (fa cup, league cup, champions league) and they could have played more games in 84-85 if they didn't go out of the League Cup early.

So overall, there may actually be less games played now than before, at least at the very top. If you're playing in the Europa League, that can potentially increase it by quite a bit compared to how it was in the 80's when it was the UEFA Cup.

Here is what I think is making the biggest difference. Footballers today are pushing the human body to it's limit with training and fitness, I can remember Gascoigne with a bit of beer belly playing for England. Players were eating fry-ups and drinking champagne before games back in those days. Travelling during pre season can't be helping either. Training in different climates and pitches must be difficult. I also think the schedule today is a mess. The Premier League is Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, when it should be just Saturday and Sunday. FA Cup games are on Fridays and Mondays now too. 

The biggest problem of all though is the international tournaments. Back in the 80's, the Euro's only had 8 teams, so the tournament was much shorter which meant that most top players around the world were giving their bodies time to recover for the new season. Expanding it to 16 teams was the sweet spot, most tournaments would start June and end before July. It's very different today. We have 24 teams now and each of the last two European Championships has ended no earlier than July 10th. Then there is the World Cup. Scheduling during the World Cup has mostly remained the same, start June and finish mid July, teams have expanded in that time though from 24 in the 80's to 32 today. But it's the next world cup when things are going to get messy, 48 teams with the Final being played on July 19th! This is crazy. You now have two international tournaments finishing way into July. We also have the Nations League replacing friendles, which is yet another competitive tournament, and one that nobody asked for.

There is more to come though. The Club World cup starts in 2025, which means another tournament starting in June and ending in mid July.

The biggest issues are international football, scheduling, current competitions expanding and new competitions forming. By 2025, football will be pushing things way too far.
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Really good post that, completely agree with the amount they are pushing players to the limit with sports science. And not just physically but mentally also. In the past when players were allowed a night out with the lads it would have been used as a stress relief (and bonding exercise). They wouldn't dream of doing that these days.

Bigger squads and more substitutions will have hugely helped with the extra stresses of the physical performance though.

 
On top of comparing matches played we need to compare distance traveled, as pressing in today's game is far more rigorous than in the 80s. 

Doubt that data is available anyway. 

 
The big difference between now and 40 years ago is back them 1 maybe 2 teams played a lot of games as they got to finals, they had the best players.

Now it's 6, 7 or 8 from each country, plus more internationals with meaning, more pre season games, more young players playing massive amounts of games.

It's an accumulation, season after season with barely any breaks, other than injuries, then they are constantly chasing fitness.

 
dkw said:
The big difference between now and 40 years ago is back them 1 maybe 2 teams played a lot of games as they got to finals, they had the best players.

Now it's 6, 7 or 8 from each country, plus more internationals with meaning, more pre season games, more young players playing massive amounts of games.

It's an accumulation, season after season with barely any breaks, other than injuries, then they are constantly chasing fitness.
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Could it be all the teenage international games also? Because I've noticed it's happening to our youth most of the time. We've lost countless of young talents to injuries, it's tragic. 

 
Victor90 said:
Could it be all the teenage international games also? Because I've noticed it's happening to our youth most of the time. We've lost countless of young talents to injuries, it's tragic. 
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Quite easily, like I said there was an International u21s tournament that didnt finish until mid July this year, and the vast majority of players were in their clubs first team squads. It's ridiculous. 

 
I really hope I'm wrong, but it's starting to feel like his injury could be a sliding doors moment for his Chelsea career.

He may only be out for a couple of months, but that time represents a vital missed opportunity for him to have cemented his long term starting place.

When he returns, the landscape of our starting 11 will look very different, with the competition for first team places likely to be much higher.

 
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Fatty_Speeding said:
I really hope I'm wrong, but it's starting to feel like his injury could be a sliding doors moment for his Chelsea career.

He may only be out for a couple of months, but that time represents a vital missed opportunity for him to have cemented his long term starting place.

When he returns, the landscape of our starting 11 will look very different, with the competition for first team places likely to be much higher.
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If he’s good enough  ( and he has so far shown he is)he’ll play. 

 
dkw said:
The big difference between now and 40 years ago is back them 1 maybe 2 teams played a lot of games as they got to finals, they had the best players.

Now it's 6, 7 or 8 from each country, plus more internationals with meaning, more pre season games, more young players playing massive amounts of games.

It's an accumulation, season after season with barely any breaks, other than injuries, then they are constantly chasing fitness.
Click to expand...
Close season meant closed season for many unless there was a World Cup which was greatly reduced. 

 
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dkw said:
Quite easily, like I said there was an International u21s tournament that didnt finish until mid July this year, and the vast majority of players were in their clubs first team squads. It's ridiculous. 
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That's why I don't get the "if we sign X player it blocks Y" many spin when we sign players. Only way round these schedules now is to have a huge squad.

And there's the stoppage time rules now that are insane, we finally get a "normal" season after Covid or the mid season world cup derailed the previous four and for all intents and purposes multiple games are now added.

 
Fatty_Speeding said:
I really hope I'm wrong, but it's starting to feel like his injury could be a sliding doors moment for his Chelsea career.

He may only be out for a couple of months, but that time represents a vital missed opportunity for him to have cemented his long term starting place.

When he returns, the landscape of our starting 11 will look very different, with the competition for first team places likely to be much higher.
Click to expand...
I think if he comes back from the injury as good as his last game he'll make the side easy. He had the potential to be one of the first names on the team sheet. Still very young.

 
Argo said:
That's why I don't get the "if we sign X player it blocks Y" many spin when we sign players. Only way round these schedules now is to have a huge squad.

And there's the stoppage time rules now that are insane, we finally get a "normal" season after Covid or the mid season world cup derailed the previous four and for all intents and purposes multiple games are now added.
Click to expand...
Add the new Champions League format also. 

Club is being proactive with these signings. 

 
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