Hoffenheim head coach Christian Ilzer has criticised UEFA’s scheduling and the upcoming UEFA Nations League, which has resulted in an increase of injuries.
“UEFA’s schedule is insane,” he said after Hoffenheim’s 3-0 UEFA Europa League victory over Lyon. He is referring to injuries sustained within the Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich squads in the UEFA Champions League.
Notably, Bayern’s Luis Díaz will be sidelined for four to six weeks after suffering a thigh injury against Arsenal.
Ilzer noted that clubs try to make adjustments to their daily routines, but with a game every three to four days, muscular injuries are to be expected, and with the FIFA World Cup in the summer, the majority of players have had no time off to recover from an already packed schedule.
As noted by Kicker, Hoffenheim released 18 players for international for the September-October international break. And with another international break on the horizon, there’s little respite for players.
“The focus for national teams should be the European Championship and the World Cup,” explained Ilzer. “These are the major highlights for the players, the major highlights for all national associations.
“That’s what you should be working towards, that’s what you have to qualify for.
“You don’t need an artificial Nations League. In my opinion, the Nations League is simply too much for what the schedule can handle.”