In the next 15 days, the Creams will have to play five matches in different tournaments
Head coach Real Madrid Carlo Ancelotti at a press conference before the match of the 6th round La Liga against Hispaniola criticized the overcrowded calendar of modern football.
“Football needs to think about it, because the goal is to play fewer games to avoid injuries. Players don’t mind taking a pay cut if they play fewer games.”
“Complaints from coaches and players will not lead to a change in the calendar this season. But it is important that organizations like UEFA, La Liga and FIFA think about it. They must understand that players are tired. Unfortunately, the calendar will not change this season. The players are thinking about changing the future of football, and I think that is right.”
This week, on Tuesday, September 17, Real Madrid made a successful start to the updated Champions League, beating Stuttgart on their home field (3:1). The victory for Ancelotti’s team was not easy, the visitors created many chances at the goal of Thibaut Courtois, who, following the results of the round, even made it into his symbolic team (along with Shakhtar defender Mykola Matviyenko).
Let us recall that from this season onwards, the main draw of the Champions League is no longer divided into groups. 36 teams compete within a single league, and each team must play 8 matches with opponents of different levels from September to January.
Thus, this stage has increased by two rounds. In addition, an additional playoff round has been added – for those teams that take places from 9th to 24th at the League stage. If in previous years the path from the start of the Champions League group stage to the final was a fixed 13 matches, now the maximum number of matches in the main grid of the European Cup for one club can reach 17.
Blancos’ home match against Espanyol will take place tomorrow, September 21. In the next 15 days, Real will play five matches, including against Lille on October 2 in the second round of the Champions League.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
