The possibility of there soon being a winter break in English football has become more likely, according to reports on Friday.
The Guardian claims that the FA and Premier League are set to hold talks on the issue, in what has been a big talking point for a number of years now.
The idea is for there to be a two-week break in January, with the FA Cup third round moved to later in the month, in order to freshen up squads and reduce injuries for the remainder of the season.
FA Cup replays and League Cup semi-final second-legs could also be scrapped, as was revealed earlier on this week.
While the likes of La Liga and the Bundesliga have a few weeks off over the festive period, English football’s schedule is actually at its most hectic then, with at least two matches a week.
England’s poor performances at major tournaments have often been blamed on players running low on fuel, with the same applying to Premier League clubs in the latter stages of the Champions League and Europa League.
News of a potential winter break will certainly come as a pleasant surprise to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who spoke about how the issue affects the national team back in December.
“You have too many games, that’s for sure. You have no break, too many tournaments,” he told BBC’s Football Focus.
“I think everybody knows that’s not the way [to be successful].
“Everybody thinks [manager] Roy [Hodgson] should lead these boys to the title, they have really good players.
“But they’ve had no break for one year. All the other teams have. You can be [successful] but it’s much harder.”
Opinion is sure to be split on the matter, with purists keen for relentless football all season long, and others of a more continental persuasion seeing a break as a necessity.
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