“Until December, the players will reach without problems”: what will the lack of a pause between the RPL seasons result in

The sports season 2020/21 in all professional men's football tournaments held under the auspices of the RFU will be held from August 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. This decision was made at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Russian Football Union.

Moreover, the matches of the final, 30th RPL round of the current season will take place on July 22, and the final of the Cup of Russia - on July 25. Thus, for the first time in history, a situation may arise in which even a minimal pause will not separate two championships.

However, a final decision on the start date of the new Premier League season has not yet been made. RT asked experts how such a busy schedule could affect the health of players and the quality of football.

“For many, it’s just a pleasure to play the fourth day in three days”

According to the former goalkeeper of the Russian national team Vyacheslav Malafeev, who recently left the post of deputy sports director of Zenit, the absence of a pause between the seasons should not be a problem for football players.

“I think they have never had such a long vacation in their life.” Let the preparation for the resumption of the season turn out to be a little crumpled, people should adapt. For football players, the most important thing in any case is to play. If the calendar does not allow you to start the season later, this option is quite acceptable.

- Will the teams have such a short preseason?

- I do not think that this will be a problem, especially for those teams that have a long bench. Nevertheless, it will be most difficult for teams that break into the European competition. But by and large it’s better to play football than not to play.

- How can teams competing in European competitions withstand extreme loads?

- We must not forget about the matches of the national teams. Perhaps they will be sacrificed just to unload the players. Teams are waiting for a busy period of half a year in length, but they have played this way before. Here we will build on Russian giants, who are used to a busy schedule, speaking in European competitions. I assure you, for many it’s just a pleasure to play the fourth day in three days. Nobody likes to train.

- How to integrate into the composition of newcomers in such conditions?

- This is really difficult, because there will not be a normal transfer window in summer. Most likely, we will not see a large number of transitions. Full-scaled large-scale work will not be conducted, only those transactions that they started working on earlier will be completed. These are current realities to which it is necessary to adapt. But I would like for the current players to have more confidence in the young players. 

- Can Russian teams fall into a functional hole in the fall due to the absence of a pause between seasons?

- If you manage to free the players from playing for the national teams, they will have enough time to recover. Indeed, if you count, people spend 50-60 days a year in national teams. I myself know that.

And I don’t think that by September-October the players will accumulate fatigue. Three months is not enough. Rather, problems may appear in November, when the decisive matches of the European Cups will just go.

- Is it worth coaches in this situation to rotate the squad as often as possible?

- It all depends on the goals of a particular team. For example, the “Zenith” has the task ahead of schedule to become the champion of the country and slightly relieve players before the new season.

- Will the Russian teams in autumn have an advantage in European competitions over rivals from those countries in which the season ended ahead of schedule?

- It all depends on the preparation. In some matches, Russian teams may show fatigue, and opponents will be fresher. On the other hand, they will not be in good shape, like those teams that had to finish the season.

“In Europe, on such a schedule they play all the time”

In turn, the former coach of Dynamo and Wings of the Soviets Andrei Kobelev emphasized that world football was faced with an extraordinary situation, which had no analogues in history. Therefore, according to the expert, it is difficult to guess how the situation will develop.

- I think the new season will begin not on August 1, but on the 8-10th. Russian players had enough rest: first there was a winter vacation, then an almost three-month pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, I see nothing wrong with the fact that there will be no break between the seasons.

However, an advantage at the start of the championship will be given to teams whose composition is balanced. Teams that are not going to acquire a large number of newcomers. They will enter the season without big losses.

- Could it be that teams that will solve their problems before the last round at the start of the new season will find it more difficult than those that did not have much motivation at the finish?

- I don’t think that someone might lack motivation. In any case, the players will give all their best. In addition, a very serious fight will go for trips to the Champions League and the Europa League. Nothing is clear yet, and in the battle for survival let only one team fly out. I think the first four to five rounds after the resumption of the season will be important for absolutely everyone.

- What should coaches be in this situation? Should they actively rotate?

- Here you need to look at the situation in each specific team, because everyone has different tasks and the selection of players. I doubt that the coaches will make five substitutions, if the wards are in order. But those teams that will solve their tasks ahead of schedule will probably become more active in the rotation. And if a team, for example, fights to the end for a ticket to the European competition, shuffling the squad will be more difficult.

Plus one must not forget about injuries. We see that in Germany in the first rounds after the resumption of the Bundesliga season a lot of damage was recorded. Therefore, it is simply impossible to predict anything now.

- Will the players withstand this load?

- In Europe, on such a schedule they play all the time. There, teams spend six to seven matches a month. I don’t see anything wrong with that. The problem is that after a long pause, the players have little time to prepare.

In addition, it is no secret to anyone that the level of players in the teams of the second eight RPL does not allow playing in the fourth day after three days. I suppose they cannot escape a functional pit in August - October.

Russian grandees, on the contrary, have high-quality performers and will be able to painlessly go through this period and conduct competent rotation. But on them in the fall an additional load will fall in the form of European cups. In this regard, the rest will be easier.

- How difficult will it be to introduce newcomers to such a situation?

- Very hard. That’s why I said that the advantage will be given to those teams that will produce a minimum of rearrangements in the composition. At the start of the new season, this will play a huge role.

- Will Russian teams in European competitions be in a better position than teams representing countries where the season ended ahead of schedule?

“I would not say that.” Now the development of football has stepped far forward. I am sure that teams from the same France will not have problems with the game practice. I think they will hold some friendly tournaments under the auspices of UEFA and will gain an acceptable form.

“If you properly conduct recovery, injuries can be avoided”

Ex-striker of the Russian national team Dmitry Bulykin supported Malafeev, a former partner in the national team, and emphasized that the players had enough time to relax, and therefore the absence of a pause between the seasons should not be a problem for them.

- It's okay that there will be no break between the seasons, just not everyone will have time to celebrate the medal. I think the players will last until December without any problems. The only difficulty will arise with players who leave their teams. As for the adaptation of newcomers, then they would not have had a month to finally join. Month, week - there is not much difference. The main thing is to finish the current RPL season and finish the next in time.

- Is it worth waiting for a large number of replacements from coaches in order to preserve the wards?

- Everyone will decide for himself. One plays the composition, the other seeks to save the players. It all depends on what kind of performers you have at your disposal. But I repeat: the absence of a pause between the seasons is unlikely to affect anything. On the contrary, players do not have time to lose shape. I do not expect the appearance of functional problems in the fall. We learned how to properly prepare teams for a long period.

- Should we expect an increase in the number of injuries?

- Those players who are not in good shape will have problems in any case. If the recovery is carried out correctly, injuries can be avoided. It all depends on the work of the physical training coach and the professionalism of the players themselves. Will the teams have enough months to prepare? Two weeks are enough in Europe. A month of work is enough not to lose shape until December.

- Due to the need for rotation of young football players in the RPL teams, will there be more?

- I have always advocated that young Russian players be given more playing time. Domestic football they are needed. I would very much like that young people with burning eyes trust more boldly. It is especially important to bet on your students.

“The problem is that there’s nowhere to shift the start of the season”

Finally, the president of Ural Grigory Ivanov stated that the new season could start later than August 1. According to him, the clubs were asked to postpone the matches of the first round of the tournament for a week.

- Perhaps the RPL-2020/21 season does not start on August 1, but on the 8th-9th. Premier League clubs have already asked to move its start. I wish the pause lasted at least ten days. Two weeks of rest is definitely enough for the players. But what can we do? We will play.

- Isn't it better to extend the pause for at least a month?

- The problem is that there is simply nowhere to shift the start of the season. Even if the first round takes place on August 8-9, we will have to go on the field in December. How will we play? Yes, clubs playing in European competitions end late, but we can not hold meetings at the end of December. Therefore, they wanted to start as early as possible. We must not forget about the European Championship in 2021. So, a very crumpled calendar will be in the spring. No one is to blame for what happened. Somehow, together we will get out of this situation.

- Will the players withstand such a schedule?

- In England they play two days later on the third, but there is still Boxing Day. Nothing, people somehow stand it. We need to get used to ours. So, you need to strengthen the composition, pull up the guys from Ural-2.