The Premier League has been stopped in its tracks for the second time this season as players fulfil their international duties.
Just 3 games into the new season the first break took place at the beginning of September.
Now, a month later the second stoppage in club football is currently in progress for the Nations League, which after this round of games resumes again in mid November.
This means club football will have suspended three times within the first three months of the season.
Days international football throughout the 2024/25 season.
The constant breaks in league football is frustrating for managers.
Jurgen Klopp: No fan of International breaks
Back in 2021 Jürgen Klopp expressed his frustration when Jordan Henderson and Andrew Robertson returned to Liverpool from international duty with injuries.
The German boss said at the time: “I hate international breaks”.
He constantly complained about a lack of recovery time from internationals back to Premier League action.
The club versus country debate is an old chestnut, but has taken on new significance with the concerns over player work load and welfare.
Earlier this season Manchester City midfielder, Rodri, revealed players are close to going on strike because of the number of games being added to the match calendar.
A report published by Fifpro highlighted the number of matches in a player’s work load, and revealed Rodri was included in 72 matchday squads for club and country between July 2023 and July 2024, totalling 6,107 minutes on the pitch.
However, after the national heavy three months, there is not another break until four months later in March, the last time players are away from their clubs during the season.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola recently expressed his love for the international break and wishes it occurred every two weeks as it gives him time to rest.
Pep's looking forward to the international break 😉
🗣 "I would have one every two weeks!" 😂#MOTD #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/sRG32djpeL
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) October 5, 2024
Although it may give the manager a week off, he did acknowledge that it is a problem for the players as they have no time to rest.
