Tottenham Hotspur beat Brentford at home by coming from behind last week, thus putting the North London Derby defeat of the week before behind them.
The Lilywhites now have the chance to build upon that winning momentum as they kick off their UEFA Europa League (UEL) campaign later this week.
Ahead of their opening UEL fixture, Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou and captain Son Heung-min spoke at the press conference to discuss several matters, one of which was the current footballing calendar that continues to become more bloated with every passing year.
Son Heung-min addresses fixture congestion ahead of Europa League opener
Son Heung-min is the latest high-profile player to have come out against the worsening fixture congestion in football.
The Spurs captain spoke ahead of his side’s opening Europa League game, during which he was asked about whether the players were being subjected to too many games.
“A lot of players came out and said the right things. It was very important for someone to say the right things. Sometimes players are the main guys to have to say something. There’s definitely a lot of games and as a football fan who loves football you want to see quality games not as many as possible.
“You don’t want to see players struggling with injuries. No one wants to see it. A lot of games, a lot of travelling. We’ve got to look after ourselves, which sometimes it’s very hard. Mentally, physically you’re not ready then going on to the pitch and then with the risk of injury is massive. We’re not robots. We have to look after that and reduce the games definitely – better quality definitely should be the aim.
“Don’t get me wrong, we love playing football. That’s clear. But the travelling and how much games we play. It’s not just the games. It’s preparing, mentally and physically. It’s a lot of work. It’s about adding more games. City played Sunday and Tuesday and it wasn’t even flexible. It could be moved probably to play Wednesday in stead of Tuesday. It’s not flexible. That’s what we’re talking about. It’s normal that everyone is at high risk of injury. It’s not fair. Rodri said the right things. We play 50, 60 games and not more than 70 games. It’s not fair.”
Son on fixture congestion, as quoted by Football London.
The matter of fixture congestion has been in the news since last week after the commencement of the UEFA Champions League. Players have also started discussing a potential strike in order to get the organisers listening and take note.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy also addressed the matter few days ago at a Spurs fan forum.
Spurs kick off their UEL campaign against Azerbaijani side Qarabağ.
Only a matter of time
The players have started talking about it, and the media has latched onto the subject sufficiently for this to not become a problem for the organisers.
But it’s highly unlikely the broadcasters, organisers, and sponsors, which stand to profit from this burgeoning circus, do anything unless drastic action is taken.
Ball’s in your court, FIFPRO.
