The players had raised the alarm for some time, but their request was not taken into consideration: it is now too late to turn around
We all enjoyed it, without realizing that it wasn’t a coincidence. The World Cup final in Qatar was wonderful and unprecedented: it’s difficult to see such a high-level show in the most important match of the season and of the four-year period. The premises, of course, were good: Argentina and France were led by the two best players on the planet, King Messi and the heir Mbappé, and alongside them many high-class squires. Six goals, high pace, quality plays, overtime lived with the ambition to score and win instead of the fear of losing. We left the stadium with our mouths agape, whoever was in front of the TV turned it off with a smile on their faces. But what was probably the main reason for that fantastic show? The date.
Unlike the other World Cups, scheduled at the end of the season, the players arrived fresh at the most important tournament. Messi had fewer games in his legs than usual: in June and July he would not have shown up in those physical conditions, especially at 35 years of age. Fewer games means less shots, less blows, less stress. And more freshness, more energy, more quality.
The message arrived from Doha was not received. We will play more and more and never mind if we regret the final between Argentina and France. Big football is constantly looking for new revenue and there is only one way to increase revenue. A higher number of matches raises the value of television rights, pushes sponsors to invest more, determines the growth of related industries.
From many quarters, however, comes the request to play less. Less than a year ago Kevin De Bruyne expressed himself in this way about the Nations League: “It doesn’t matter to me. These are friendly. Everyone is having a long and difficult season, and another two weeks of games is just too much. What is the point of saying that we footballers would like to rest? It would be useless. We will go on the field and we will do what we have to ”. And Thibaut Courtois, who as a goalkeeper should theoretically suffer less than his movement companions, was even clearer: “The Nations League is only made because UEFA wants some more money. Same goes for the Conference League. They are angry because some clubs would like to organize the Super League, but they don’t care about us players in the slightest. Playing without ever stopping for a moment leads to constant injuries, and this should be reviewed. We are not robots, there are more and more matches and nobody cares about us.”
That’s the point. Who cares about the players? Who understands that health is indispensable for show business? The problem is that the concept of entertainment is decidedly subjective: what matters more is what you see on the field or the television representation of a huge business? The impression is that there will never go back and, while in Italy reforms of the championships are discussed in vain to reduce the registered teams and increase competitiveness, the format of the competitions increases the number of matches. The graphs highlight the epochal changes linked above all to the greater number of clubs participating in Serie A and the expansion of the Champions League, as well as the new regulations for the minor cups. Let’s take a few examples by linking them to Italian formations that have made history. In 1989-90, Sacchi’s Milan confirmed themselves as European champions and closed the season after playing 54 games: 34 in the league, 9 in the Champions Cup, 8 in the Italian Cup (lost in the final against Juve), 2 in the Super Cup European (won with Barcelona), 1 in the Intercontinental Cup (won against Nacional de Medellin). He couldn’t have played more: 54 was the maximum. In 1995-96 Juve, who triumphed in the Champions League, played a total of 48 matches (34 in Serie A, 11 in Europe, 2 in the Italian Cup, 1 in the Italian Super Cup) out of a maximum potential of 54 (the remaining 6 were the quarterfinals, the and the final of the Coppa Italia, all rounds played in double competition). In 2009-10 Inter celebrated the treble after playing 57 out of 57 matches (38 in Serie A, 13 in the Champions League, 5 in the Italian Cup, 1 in the Italian Super Cup). And this season, if he goes all the way in the Champions League and in the Italian Cup, Simone Inzaghi would also end up with 57 points, while Juve, if they reach the finals of the Europa League and Italian Cup, could reach 58 (one more European round, the Super cup less). From 2024-25, the formats of the Champions League and the Club World Cup will change and an Italian top club, reaching the bottom of all competitions, could play 70 games, also considering the Super Cups. A blunder. And the evaluation would not change even if it went down to 60, because then there are the national teams. A great champion could play almost 80 matches: excluding the usual six weeks of break between summer and winter, the average is one match every 4 days or so.
We are almost on the level of the NBA, which we mention not surprisingly because it is the American answer to the Champions League and to the spectacle of football in general. Each team plays 82 regular season games: too many for everyone. And considering the potential arrival in game 7 in the various playoff rounds, you can go up to 110 matches. And the figures are slightly lower for basketball clubs participating in the Euroleague. In short, the specificity of football, the needs of the players and also of the coaches, who have less and less time to do their job, are not taken into account. But then you expect a show and if it doesn’t arrive, you change the rules: do you score too little? We whistle absurd penalties for handballs that shouldn’t be punished. And so on. Maybe it really is time to do some deep thinking instead of just counting money.
March 30 – 07:48
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