As Tottenham Hotspur embark for an intense run of fixtures, defender Eric Dier has criticised the Premier League’s scheduling.
Spurs travelled to the London Stadium on Wednesday evening to play out a 1-1 draw against West Ham United which was their first taste of midweek action in the Premier League this season.
Due to Champions League commitments, Spurs will play three games a week from now until the middle of November, when the Premier League pauses for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The only reprieve will be an international break towards the end of the month, however, many of the Tottenham players will naturally be away representing their respective ountries during that time.
Spurs have enjoyed solid start to the campaign, registering three wins and two draws to gain eleven points from their opening five matches with the north Londoners currently sitting third in the Premier League table.
The real test is still to come though, of course, and how the new and improved Tottenham Hotspur squad deals with the congested fixture list will be a key factor in determining just how successful this season can be.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, Eric Dier openly lamented the busy schedule.
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“I enjoy playing, I don’t mind. For me, it’s no problem. I enjoy playing midweek games and I think we should enjoy playing as much as we can,”
“I just think the schedule doesn’t make sense in that for three [weeks] we’ve had one game a week. It doesn’t make sense to then go up to mid-November with a game every midweek,” he added.
“We’ve improved the squad, we have a squad with a lot of depth. We knew the last three weeks wouldn’t represent what the season is going to be like but now it really starts. There are a lot of games.”
“I think it’s strange that we’ve had one game a week for three or four weeks, and then suddenly you’re playing midweek games until November. It doesn’t make much sense to me. But it is what it is,” Dier continued.
“We have to look after ourselves as best we can in every single way. Our recovery, our professionalism, how we look after ourselves is going to be extremely important. We’ve had a great pre-season to give us the right base going into that period.”
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There’s been no shortage of criticism for the decision to host the World Cup in Qatar during the winter, and looking at the fixture list now just adds to the long list of negatives. To break up a league season with a major international tournament is questionable, but to then push the players to play this much within a short space of time is sheer madness. Let’s just hope the strength in depth Spurs have now can see the club through.
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