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Pre Match Pre Match - Chelsea (A) - Sun 16:30

Agreed. There would be a great benefit to next season if we gave a couple of players the rest of the season off - but I can understand why Slot might want to go for 90 points.

Imagine being able to tell Gravy, Macca & Mo that they can put their feet up for an extra month. Absolute gold.
I'd like to see some scientific data that clearly demonstrates the benefit of having 8 or 10 weeks off vs say 6 weeks. I'm not sure there would be much correlation. Entirely unscientific but seemingly logical is that the body can full recover within X amount of weeks but there is then no benefit, indeed it could be detrimental (in getting back to full fitness) with more time off.
 
Now do that for Salah or Virgil. You simply can't extrapolate and conflate one player dropping off a cliff and apply that to all players.

You broadly can, because it is science and it is just a fact of physiology. Mo has definitely lost some pace, but he has a lot of other attributes that help. Virgil manages his exersion well & always has done. A DM though relies a lot on work rate and ground covered and this is why once they start losing that side of their game, it can all fall apart.
 
I'd like to see some scientific data that clearly demonstrates the benefit of having 8 or 10 weeks off vs say 6 weeks. I'm not sure there would be much correlation. Entirely unscientific but seemingly logical is that the body can full recover within X amount of weeks but there is then no benefit, indeed it could be detrimental (in getting back to full fitness) with more time off.

So you don't think that extra time resting & not playing 90 min high intensity games will help recovery? Fair - I guess we also don't have conclusive proof that the Earth is round.
 
Naturally they'll be a drop off in performance levels, much easier finding that desire to strive to work towards something special (which has now been fulfilled) than to carry it through until the end when there's really not all that much riding on the games left. I actually see this being a game where the fringe/young players will put in more an effort as they're the ones with it all to prove.

The player's minds will already be to the summer, internationals, next season etc. I'll tune in to watch, because I always do, but I won't be losing any sleep over the outcome.
 
Salah needs 2 more G/A to go top of the all time G/A in a season (though the 47 managed by Shearer and Cole was over a 42 game season)
Salahs on 46 would be great if he broke the record and was clear ahead of the other two, even better if he manages 50!

He also needs 3 more goals to beat Andy Cole into 4th place in all time top goalscorers.

I think he'll wana play every minute and break these records.

He is currently on 18 assists. Needs 2 more to match KDB's record of 20 set in 19-20 . Would be great if he could get 3+3 in the remaining 4 games to break all kinds of records 🙂
 
So you don't think that extra time resting & not playing 90 min high intensity games will help recovery? Fair - I guess we also don't have conclusive proof that the Earth is round.
I suggest you re-read the original post I made (re. weeks for recovery) before replying in volcano-mode.

If you want a rough parallel then maybe consider Tennis players. There isn't a real 'season' per se (just fewer events in December) but really they don't stop just have a short rest period. And their schedule is much tougher (4 events per month and up to 6 games per week if they do well, otherwise the average is likely to be 2-3 matches per event) and they can easily have far longer careers (essentially until their 50's if they play on the senior tour).
 
You broadly can, because it is science and it is just a fact of physiology. Mo has definitely lost some pace, but he has a lot of other attributes that help. Virgil manages his exersion well & always has done. A DM though relies a lot on work rate and ground covered and this is why once they start losing that side of their game, it can all fall apart.
Neither have dropped off cliff though and Mo. is 3 years older than when Fabs crashed (29 yrs old) and Virgil is now 4 years older so there is zero correlation!
 
Now do that for Salah or Virgil. You simply can't extrapolate and conflate one player dropping off a cliff and apply that to all players.
Rooney
Owen
Fowler
Sterling

All played too many games and their bodies went nah don’t think so.

Look at de bruyne. Another who has been overplayed. Now his body is fucked.

Go to another sport. Boxing. There’s a reason why fighters are fighting when they are older. They have fewer fights. Rather than 4 a year it’s down to two for those at the top. Tyson was fucked by mid 20s yet Usyk is well into his 30s.

Father Time is unbeaten and the only way you can last as long as possible is by reducing the wear and tear on the body.

Also imagine the absolute uproar if Virgil’s or Salah’s ACL goes in an innocuous challenge. Yea that fucks up next season too.

Don’t take the risk.
 
Rooney
Owen
Fowler
Sterling

All played too many games and their bodies went nah don’t think so.

Look at de bruyne. Another who has been overplayed. Now his body is fucked.

Go to another sport. Boxing. There’s a reason why fighters are fighting when they are older. They have fewer fights. Rather than 4 a year it’s down to two for those at the top. Tyson was fucked by mid 20s yet Usyk is well into his 30s.

Father Time is unbeaten and the only way you can last as long as possible is by reducing the wear and tear on the body.

Also imagine the absolute uproar if Virgil’s or Salah’s ACL goes in an innocuous challenge. Yea that fucks up next season too.

Don’t take the risk.
Rooney and Fowler were both on errrr other things (inc. booze) and are about the worst cases of 'looking after yourself' you could give !
Owen & De Bruyne were perma sicknotes. Sterling is still playing at 30 but he's been shite for years and I'd not put him in the same bracket as the others, he wasn't great at City ! These aren't good examples.

It's always possible to pick out the odd one here or there (which is why we said some players drop off a cliff) but not easy to find a true correlation as opposed to supposition. Boxing can not be in any form compared - how about Tennis which I proposed as a very good comparison above?
 
I tend to agree there needs to be some long term thinking about the minutes of Salah, VVD and others. It's not about the start of next season. It's about ensuring they do not fall off a cliff in performances whilst collecting 400k a week or whatever it is.

It won't happen though. Managers only care about the next 12 months.
 
He is currently on 18 assists. Needs 2 more to match KDB's record of 20 set in 19-20 . Would be great if he could get 3+3 in the remaining 4 games to break all kinds of records 🙂
More importantly i want him to surpass henry. Henry the only player to get 20 goals and 20 assists in one season. Problem is the team has nothing to play for. The last time we won the league our form dropped off big time. There was no desire and why should there be. We're champions.
 
See the reasons I gave for Tennis being comparable (or even more strenuous and a toll on the body) and I mentioned seniors because it lends to longevity.
Tennis is start. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Sit down. Have a drink. Repeat.

They also don’t have any contact with another person unless shaking hands.

I don’t believe you really are saying the only reason to reduce games is to keep them okay to tour the world playing 5-a-side with other legends.
 
Rooney
Owen
Fowler
Sterling

All played too many games and their bodies went nah don’t think so.

Look at de bruyne. Another who has been overplayed. Now his body is fucked.

Go to another sport. Boxing. There’s a reason why fighters are fighting when they are older. They have fewer fights. Rather than 4 a year it’s down to two for those at the top. Tyson was fucked by mid 20s yet Usyk is well into his 30s.

Father Time is unbeaten and the only way you can last as long as possible is by reducing the wear and tear on the body.

Also imagine the absolute uproar if Virgil’s or Salah’s ACL goes in an innocuous challenge. Yea that fucks up next season too.

Don’t take the risk.

Simple way to find out would be offer clubs & players a 4 week longer break and see what they would say. I would expect 100% uptake.
 
Tennis is start. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Sit down. Have a drink. Repeat.

They also don’t have any contact with another person unless shaking hands.

I don’t believe you really are saying the only reason to reduce games is to keep them okay to tour the world playing 5-a-side with other legends.
That is a very weird tangent!

Just look at how far they run, and at what levels, in a tennis match and how many hours it lasts. And how many rounds! Yeah definitely it's comparable. Or more likely it exceeds the athleticism required by footballers.

Actually a quick check and muscleprodigy (!) has, for athleticism, Tennis at 5 and Football (soccer) at 7.

However the point being longevity is comparable or in tennis even exceeds football... again.
 
That is a very weird tangent!

Just look at how far they run, and at what levels, in a tennis match and how many hours it lasts. And how many rounds! Yeah definitely it's comparable. Or more likely it exceeds the athleticism required by footballers.

Actually a quick check and muscleprodigy (!) has, for athleticism, Tennis at 5 and Football (soccer) at 7.

However the point being longevity is comparable or in tennis even exceeds football... again.
I remember all those times Djokovic was two footed by Pickford.
 
To me, it's more about avoiding the threshold of exhaustion through strategic rests and managing minutes throughout the season.

An extra week or two of total rest between seasons is less important.

Repairing burnout is much tougher than preventing it.
 

Lavia will want impact against champions​

Chelsea are more fluid when Roméo Lavia is fit. The Belgian is press-resistant, savvy on the ball and positionally disciplined. He is the kind of player who improves those around him and, assuming that he does not have yet another injury setback, is likely to keep his place when Chelsea host Liverpool. Enzo Maresca values Lavia highly and was delighted to have him available to start in last weekend’s win over Everton. It meant moving Moisés Caicedo to right-back and having the Ecuadorian drift into midfield when Chelsea had possession. The ploy worked well and could continue against the champions. However, Liverpool may fancy their chances if Luis Díaz can expose Caicedo, who is not a natural defender. JS
 
Referee: Simon Hooper. Assistants: Adrian Holmes, Simon Long. Fourth official: Tony Harrington. VAR:John Brooks. Assistant VAR: Matthew Wilkes.
 
Slot confirms that there will be rotations.

I'd actually be hype to see likes of Nyoni, Rio get a chance. Even if its on the bench and last 20 etc.

Anyway - Chelsea have. a lot riding on this so would love to see us just go out all guns blazing. The away end will be buzzing, and expect to see videos post game of fights in the stands as a LOT of chelsea home tickets are being sold to reds.
 
Total shambles of a club.

[Overlap] Gullit:”I met Todd Boehly, Introduced myself, Hi I am Ruud Gullit, Todd said “What do you do” well I played Football, and played and coached for Chelsea, Todd said “Oh yeah, when did you play for Chelsea, what did you do for Chelsea?”
 
I want to win all 4 games, of course I do, but some of our lads are running on fumes. We should rest the players who need it, and I mean properly rest them, not even on the bench. If anyone's been carrying a knock then they shouldn't play.
If Arne's on the fence about any player then he needs to give them the next 4 games and see how they do (and make allowances for them playing in a weakened team when he makes his final assessment).
City and Chelsea have the World Club Cup to come, they'll be done at the start of next season - we're basically competing with Arsenal again next season, and they still have to go hard, chasing shadows in Paris and then a few tricky figures to try to secure 2nd place.
Meanwhile our boys can be all pipe and slippers. That's what we should do.
 
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