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Barcelona Coach Koeman Bemoans Packed Schedule

Barcelona Coach Koeman Bemoans Packed Schedule

Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman has insisted that players are being overburdened due to the congested fixture schedule in the ongoing season.

The Dutch coach has called on UEFA to help find a solution in order to help ease the load on players.

The 2020-2021 season started late on the account of the break in the 2019/2020 season amid the breakout of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Euro 2020 was postponed to this year in order to allow the previous season to be concluded last summer.

Koeman’s side have already played ten games in 2021 and will end February playing another seven.

The former Everton manager has admitted he understands the current happenings, but urges UEFA to find a way to protect the players.

"It is difficult," Koeman told Marca ahead of Barcelona’s trip to Real Betis on Sunday. "The number of games that the big teams have, with three competitions, on top of the Covid situation, makes everything more difficult.

"You have to talk with the players to see how they are physically, their feelings. Sometimes you have to give someone a rest to be able to have everyone in the best condition.

"If we count tomorrow's game and Wednesday's game, there are 12 games in a row, of which 11 are away from home. And that's playing at 21:00, coming home at 03:00 in the morning. It is difficult for the players to be able to play all the time. We need help.

"I hope that one day UEFA or La Liga will think about the number of games and what this does to the players. It is not normal. The games we've had to play, the trips, the schedules, playing the Supercopa between four teams, in my opinion, it is a lot.

"Each coach has his opinion about the fixture schedule that the players have to go through. I think this has to stop, it's killing the players. We will have many injuries as a result of this. It is impossible.

"Hopefully one day they will make a decision to help the players with their fitness."

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