The Russian Premier League may follow the example of the championships of France and the Netherlands and prematurely complete the current draw due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to media reports, a decision could be made by the executive committee of the Russian Football Union on May 15.
The main reason for the end of the season is the lack of time to finish the remaining eight rounds in a short time without harming the health of the players. Especially taking into account the fact that before the next draw the teams should take a short pause.
In this situation, only a reduction in the duration of halves and an increase in the number of substitutions from three to five could help save the national championship. Experts believe that these two innovations are able to reduce the burden on athletes and allow them to safely survive a busy schedule.
Time duration
The option to reduce playing time was proposed by the Association of Professional Football Players of England, taking into account the holding of games in two days on the third. This measure would help football players spend less energy, which would affect their endurance, allow faster recovery between matches and reduce the risk of injury.
Nevertheless, the former head coach of the Grozny Akhmat Rashid Rakhimov believes that the RPL should not even consider this innovation, since the schedule is not so crowded.
“It remains to play only eight rounds and four matches in the country's cup. The British will have more, therefore, maybe it makes sense because of the insufficient amount of time. Players will have the opportunity to recover within two to three days. And why is it in the RPL? Of course, you can play for 40 minutes without compensated time, but in this case a lot will depend on different nuances, ”Rakhimov said in an interview with RT.
The mentor was skeptical about the fear that outsider teams would get a certain advantage in the case of a shortened half-time, as they would have less time to defend. According to Rakhimov, a possible innovation will not affect the game’s drawing.
“Cutting time can lead to the opposite effect - at the end of the game you will have to add even more in the attack in order to score and win. Therefore, I do not think that this will give an advantage to one or another team. Everything will depend on the course of the match, ”the coach is sure.
The specialist also refuted the view that football will become more dynamic. According to him, athletes are doing their best on the field, so it would be wrong to say that reducing playing time will lead to an increase in speeds.
“Yes, perhaps the players will retain a little more strength, but again, everything will depend on the actions of the opponent and the specific result. If the team leads, she will try to control the ball, otherwise she needs to change the scheme of the game. I don’t think that this will be of decisive importance, ”Rakhimov emphasized.
Summing up, the ex-mentor of "Akhmat" announced the need to resume the season. In his opinion, if this does not happen in the near future, then it will be even harder for football players to get in shape.
“We don’t know when we will start playing again, it will happen in June or July. Or maybe you’ll have to wait for the end of all European competitions. In addition, it is difficult to imagine what will happen in October and whether the pandemic will happen again. In this case, we will have to interrupt a new championship. Therefore, it is advisable to finish the current season, although it will turn out to be crumpled, ”Rakhimov concluded.
Additional replacements
Another measure aimed at reducing the load is the introduction of the fourth and fifth replacements. Previously, it was already allowed to change one player in extra time, which helped teams in those matches when extra time was appointed. And recently, the International Football Federation (FIFA) introduced a rule that allows for five substitutions in matches of official tournaments, which will be played out in 2020.
Former Khimki coach Andrei Talalaev expressed confidence that the innovation will help teams in a situation of accelerated preparation for the remaining matches. He noted that the effect of coronavirus on the body has not yet been fully studied and it is not known what reaction will cause stress in patients with illness.
“Additional replacements are a smart decision. There are two reasons for introducing this rule. Firstly, everyone understands that the meetings will be held without spectators. Therefore, we need a quality product so that a multi-billion-dollar audience enjoys watching football on television. Players will retain strength longer, the level of intensity, which means that entertainment will not fall. Secondly, you need to hold a large number of matches in a short time, and the recovery time will be less than usual. That is, the coaching staff will have to resort to a constant rotation of the squads, ”Talalaev is sure.
Moreover, according to the expert, a large number of replacements in the starting lineup will lead to a loss in the quality of the game. Therefore, additional substitutions during matches offset possible errors.
“Conventionally, we are already playing the third or fourth game in a row. Football players do not have time to fully recover, and the coach builds in the composition of four to six reserve players. But after a long lack of competitive practice, entering the game is very difficult. Then replacements will come to the rescue - for example, it will be possible to remove three people already during the first half, ”Talalaev explained.
The expert also suggested that teams with long benches would benefit much more from this rule than their rivals. He added that this measure will not operate continuously, so there is no need to complicate it due to artificial restrictions.
“What is good football? The fact that there were fewer changes in the rules in comparison with other sports. Therefore, it is not worth discussing this aspect in such detail. It is necessary to end the season, and then look at the situation, ”Talalaev concluded.