There is a lot of talk about players wages, which is an astronomical amount compared to most Arsenal fans, just for the pleasure of ‘kicking a ball around’ every now and again, but it sounds comical to think that anyone would complain about them playing too many games every season.
Mikel Arteta took his players to Dubai for the first-ever EPL winter break, but he still thinks that the Premier league season is too demanding for our expensive superstars. “Something has to be done because you can see players are cracking and cracking every season,” he told Goal.
“You can sustain that for one season, two seasons, but after three or four seasons you end up paying the price and I think the quality at some stage will drop. But we have a history, a massive culture, here with the cup games and to go against that is difficult.
“I think there are a lot of ways around it. We’re not going to please everyone with the decisions that have to be made. What is for sure is that, for players, it’s an enormous amount of games.
“The intensity is raising every single year, the level of pressure too, and sometimes it’s too much for them.
“If there is no change, we have to be allowed to have 26 or 28 squad players, which we are not allowed to do, and even more players on the bench.”
“It’s very condensed and if any event happens that is not considered, like for example the coronavirus, then it will be even more complicated,”
It has been revealed that Arsenal will have played at least 51 games by the end of the season, which, if you think about it, averages out to be 90 minutes of football every week. If you earned a wage like Mesut Ozil’s rumoured weekly payout, that works out at around 4000 GBP for every minute played, and that’s if he played every minute of every game, which very few players do nowadays.
With wages like that, I don’t think that they should complain that they play too many games every season, even when they have to play twice every week. They are surely pampered enough as it is….
What do you think?
I don’t recall anyone forcing them to accept the wages and take the money.
Second, with the revenues clubs bring in, they can afford quality on the bench.
Third, perhaps they should rethink paying average players massive wages.
Lastly, how about average blokes that work 40 hours a weak doing back breaking physical labor to support their families? Bet they would love a 90 minute a week gig with training in between
What about other teams? These guys are being paid high wages, what do you expect? To play 1 game per week, and get £350k per week like Ozil? Just be realistic, money is not easy to make
WAGES ARE A COMPLETE IRRELEVANCE WHEN IT COMES TO FATIQUE. I am not making excuses for certain players we have who do NOT give their all but wages are completely irrelevant and that is a fact not an opinion. If I paid you a thousand pounds to run a marathon and a month later when fully recovered I then paid you a milion pounds to repeat it , I doubt your time would be any quicker. That is obvious and so please do not try, foolishly , to connect two completely separate subjects.
That sort of shallow thinking tarnishes your whole article, Admin PAT.
Come on really 51 games there is pre season then the league which is 38 games then carabo and the fa cup and europa league or champions league, no way that comes to only 51 games besides its the traveling in Europe to play in the europa or champions league that drains your energy so it’s hardly just kicking a ball around you have to be not just fit but super fit. That’s why the teams that don’t compete in Europe seems like they get a second wind in the later stages of the Premier league champagne.
Exactly the ones that always gets the rub of the green
Players like Sadio Mane play every week, but never compain of fatigue. Arsenal fans want to justify a point that Ozil is not playing well because of fatigue. Truly this guy is bigger than Arsenal
Some players are more able to cope with the physicality of the EPL than others. Some succumb to more injuries and through overtraining and over use on match days eventually breakdown if not properly rested. Look how Wilshere played too much, suffered injuries and hasn’t returned to the top level. I’m comparing them to top racehorses that may go out on gallops etc but aren’t at race meetings twice a week. They aren’t cart horses.
I do agree with Mike that Europa league away matches at far flung corners of Europe don’t help with the fatigue aspect. Coming back very late at night on a four flight from Athens will take some getting over
No they shouldn’t complain and yes they are pampered. Think themselves lucky they haven’t got a real job, one where they get minimum wage, work in terrible conditions and scrimp around to pay bills every week after working 40 or 50 hours a week. They should appreciate how lucky they are and stop looking for excuses.