Freiburg's head coach Christian Streich is alarmed a week and a half before the start of the World Cup.
The game load is “too much overall”, and not in relation to the past few weeks, but over the years.
"The screw is turned more and more until it breaks," explained the SC coach.
He gave the example of Matthias Ginter from his squad.
In the past few years, before returning to SC Freiburg in the summer, the central defender had not had a vacation that lasted longer than ten days.
"It's all borderline"
"It's an unbelievable workload for players who are regularly with the national team," said Streich.
“The boys are paid really well, but they also achieve enormous things and also give up a lot.
You really have to love football and be a bit crazy to get through it and not burn out.”
Eintracht Frankfurt's coach Oliver Glasner made a similar statement.
"Everything is borderline," said the Austrian before the Bundesliga game on Wednesday evening (8.30 p.m., in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky) against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
"When can these players take a deep breath?" he asked.
As long as the various institutions and associations don't sit down together and look for a common solution in the interests of football and its players, "there won't be one because our own interests take precedence over the common good.
Unfortunately," stressed Glasner.
Instead, a World Cup is being considered every two years.
Year after year, the national players are in action during the international breaks in September, October and November.
"As club coaches, we don't really get it.
The players have had this rhythm for years.
And you have to pay attention to that,” said Glasner.