Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is in favor of maintaining the unique Premier League tradition of playing on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, but he vehemently claimed, and even spoke of a strike, the need to re-allow the five substitutions per game to protect players from a very demanding schedule in England during the Christmas season with the three-game match between Sunday and January 3, if the pandemic allows it.
While the major European leagues maintain the possibility of making five changes that were introduced last season after the stoppage caused by the pandemic to alleviate the load of matches, the majority of Premier League clubs voted in favor of returning this season at three substitutions. The standard has been upheld at a meeting held today.
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In addition, while the rest of the leagues stop to a greater or lesser extent around these dates, the English teams not only play three games in this Christmas period, but will later have to support an even more compressed calendar to accommodate the 12 suspended games in the last days due to the outbreak of Covid-19 positives in their templates.
Given this situation, Guardiola believes that it is time for the Premier League to adapt to the circumstances. “The tradition of Boxing Day is enormously important. It is a characteristic of this league. It will not change … Boxing Day is so pleasant for families to go all together to the stadium,” began arguing the City coach, leader with three points ahead of Liverpool, before hosting Leicester on Sunday.
Guardiola’s reasons
“The problem is the games, the calendar, 365 days a year, the teams immersed in big competitions and many games … The players have two or three weeks of vacation in the summer, then the season starts again, it is too much “Guardiola continued.
And the big question
“Today the coaches spoke with the Premier League and the TV networks and decided what is best for everyone,” Pep said in reference to the meeting held this Thursday. “The welfare of the players should be the most important … This is the only country that does not accept five substitutions, only three. Why?” He questioned.
“We want to protect the players, so put in five substitutions. It is much better for the number of games, but the Premier League and the clubs decided ‘no’,” Pep lamented.
Henderson’s complaint (Liverpool)
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson said in an interview with the BBC on Wednesday that “I am concerned about the well-being of the players and I don’t think anyone takes it seriously enough, especially in this period when Covid is here.” Other coaches have expressed themselves along the same lines, which is why Guardiola urges us to take another step, to join forces and call a strike, although he does not want to go to this extreme.
“Words alone will not solve anything. UEFA, FIFA, the Premier League, televisions, business is more important than well-being,” Guardiola added.
The strike to get attention
“Maybe we need a strike to get people to pay attention, although we want to play, make people happy in December and play. We love doing that,” Guardiola reflected.
“I’m not saying a reason to go on strike. But when people say World Cups, Euro Cups, League Cup semi-finals in two games, FA Cups and Premier League, more teams, more games and less holidays …”