Fan Letters: Were Sunderland Hindered By The International Break?
RR reader David Ord believes that Sunderland’s ever-expanding football schedule will have an impact on the team as the season progresses.
Because I live in Spain, I was able to watch the Fulham game in its full on DAZN and must agree with the consensus that we received exactly what we deserved:
nothing, or “nada” as we say here. Without making any excuses, I would like to express a few observations.
The first is related to Granit Xhaka’s comment after the Everton game about how poorly they practiced prior, which resulted in a very awful first half hour. He emphasised that you cannot train poorly and then switch it on at match time.
Interestingly, that was our first Monday night game, and I’m wondering if the training wasn’t as effective as it could have been due to the change in routine required for a Monday night.
With two — almost three — extra days of training, do you exercise thoroughly and risk tiredness on the day, or do you hold back to keep something in the tank for the match?
Fast forward to last week, and many players have returned from international duty. Some probably arrived back on Thursday, and I believe the squad left for London on Friday.
So, what kind of training and preparation for the Fulham match could have been planned in that time frame?
If Xhaka was concerned about the training schedule with extra days for the Everton game, I’m curious what he thought about having only one day available with the complete match squad for the Fulham game? I believe this raises a bigger concern about international breaks.
They respond “Well, it’s the same for everyone,” but this is not true because we travelled extensively while others did not.
Why not schedule the majority of key games on a Sunday following the international break? To pay the piper (TV companies), why not schedule a couple of games on a Saturday that need the least amount of travel?
For this weekend after the international break, it could have been Everton/Manchester United and Arsenal/Spurs (both local) on Saturday and the rest on Sunday.
Chelsea, who had a Saturday lunchtime encounter at Burnley, were most likely the worst affected. This weekend, it was clear that several teams, not just Sunderland, delivered some very ordinary, uninspiring performances.
I am not making excuses, but these players are not machines, and the authorities who make these fixture demands should pay a bit more regard to the players’ well-being; at the end of the day, the game suffers.
Indeed, Régis Le Bris should have gone with those available for training the majority of the week and rested those who are just returning, as he will have to play them at some time — December, when we lose players to AFCON.
So, when would you like to see the second string make their Premier League debuts?
Against Fulham, or leave it till the last minute, with Liverpool, Manchester City, and Newcastle all looking like strong prospects for game time?
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