fixture

Klopp Calls For End To England’s Fixture Mayhem

January 3, 2020 2:56 pm

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on Friday stepped up his calls to protect players from burn-out after claiming England’s festive fixture pile-up was bad for the sport.

Klopp is one of a growing number of Premier League managers frustrated by the demands placed on top-flight teams by England’s domestic competitions and television’s unquenchable thirst to show the games.

Liverpool are down to 12 fit senior outfield players after a host of injuries in recent weeks, while Tottenham star Harry Kane suffered a torn hamstring on New Year’s Day and Newcastle lost four players in one match.

Klopp believes coaches and football …

Solskajer Slams Festive Fixture Pile-Up

December 27, 2019 1:53 pm

Manchester United’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has become the latest Premier League manager to complain about the “unfair” packed programme of fixtures over Christmas and New Year.

United play their final league match of 2019 against Burnley on Saturday, just over 48 hours since competing for a 4-1 comeback win over Newcastle.

Those matches form part of a sequence of seven games in 21 days that is hard to square with modern notions of rest and recovery.

But such is the commercial appeal of the traditionally congested programme that change does …

Ronaldo Ready to Risk Injury To Play For Portugal (Fixture)

November 14, 2019 7:38 am

Portugal’s Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to play in their Euro 2020 qualifiers against Lithuania and Luxembourg despite concerns over his fitness which came to the fore last weekend, coach Fernando Santos said on Wednesday.

Ronaldo was substituted in the 55th minute of Juventus’ win over AC Milan in Serie A on Sunday, the earliest he has been taken off by the Italian champions, and he was visibly furious with coach Maurizio Sarri as he stormed down the tunnel.