Conte thinks national bosses need to manage player minutes at World Cup

Antonio Conte has said the sheer volume of matches that some players have been involved in this season means there is a ‘big risk’ of injuries at the World Cup.

This season is unlike any other due to the fact that the World Cup is being held in the winter. As a result, the teams who are involved in European competitions have had to play two games almost every week since the start of the campaign.

Tottenham have certainly had their fair share of injuries as a result, with the likes of Cristian Romero, Lucas Moura, Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison and Son Heung-min being on the treatment table at various times over recent weeks.

There are also concerns about Kane, who has started every single game across all competitions for Spurs this season, but Conte insisted that the England captain will be at his best in Qatar.

When asked about the striker, the Tottenham head coach told Football.London: “I think Harry is going to play a fantastic World Cup because in this season he was never injured, he has been able to train well, he is good physically and for sure to play many games in such a short period is difficult – but not only for Harry.

“Eric Dier is another player going with the national team. To play 13 games in 43 days mentally you could be a bit tired, but top players have to be good to manage these situations.”

Conte remarked that national team managers should be careful in managing the workload of the players, just as clubs have been over the last few months.

He added: “You make the difference by managing these situations in the right way. When you are a top player it is very difficult for the manager to put them on the bench. You need your top players to play.

“There is a big risk for all the national teams. All the players have played a lot. Then the games with the clubs finish and the World Cup starts.

“The coach of the national teams have to be very good to manage the situation. Until now, we have managed the situation, and believe me, it was really, really difficult.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Unfortunately, managing the workload of the players will not be a priority for national team coaches. The likes of Romero, Kane, Bentancur, Hojbjerg and co will likely play every minute of their country’s World Cup campaign, given how important they are to their respective sides.

Related Topics