Wayne Rooney has called for the Premier League’s crowded festive schedule to change but fears the authorities will act only when a player is seriously injured.
The Manchester United and England captain was one of many players to start two matches in the space of 48 hours – he completed the 90 minutes of the 3-1 Boxing Day home win over Newcastle United and the 0-0 draw at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Rooney noted United’s performance had dropped sharply in the second half at White Hart Lane and how they were not alone in failing to sustain their level. Sunday’s matches came to look and feel like a slog. He also believes there is the danger of supporters being short-changed at a time when they are forced to dig deep into their pockets.
“It is not easy playing two games in two days and you do lose a lot of the quality from both teams,” Rooney said. “We started so well in the first half against Tottenham but in the second half it was tough and hopefully in the future it has to change. “It will probably take someone getting a really bad injury from doing it [playing twice in three days]. No one wants to see that but it is very demanding and I think it does need looking at.
“With the weather – the fans coming from London or travelling from Manchester, it has been tough. It is a lot of money to spend over Christmas as well. But it is what it is. We have to deal with that and we have to try to perform well.
“As a player, you want to play. It is tough but you want to play to try and help the team to win. If you look at all the games [on Sunday], they all lose a lot of quality towards the end.”
Rooney and many of his Premier League colleagues must play again on New Year’s Day; United have been given the 12.45pm kick-off at Stoke City. “We need to do our recovery properly and be ready,” he said. “We will go and prepare right, get plenty of food and drink down us to hydrate.”
The Premier League says the festive programme is a tradition and one the clubs are fully aware of. Given the clubs’ wealth, resources and the size of their playing squads, it believes they ought to be able to rotate and cope. As with any matters of policy, if 14 or more of the clubs want a change, they can push for it. There have been no motions to alter the Christmas and new year schedule but Rooney is the latest high-profile figure to speak out about the untenable demands of the programme. Louis van Gaal, the United manager, has talked about it several times and he described the second half at Tottenham as “not football any more and a struggle for life”.
“It is scientifically proven the body cannot recover in 48 hours,” Van Gaal said. “When the authorities allow these matches, you see what it is like – the second half is much different to the first. It was not only for Manchester United but also Tottenham Hotspur.”
Gus Poyet, the Sunderland manager, has called the Christmas schedule a “disgrace” and even its defenders, such as Arsène Wenger, feel something has to give. The Arsenal manager says English football ought to have a break in January.
