Every professional footballer needs significant time to rest in the summer, especially those at the highest level. They are not getting it.
Chelsea's Juan Mata has played more than 70 games this season and he still has the Confederations Cup to come, with Spain in Brazil.
He is a great player, and he might be getting away with it now, but players who don't rest suffer from fatigue, they slow and burn out. They start to dislike the best job in the world.
Too many games for young players seriously adversely affects them later. Fernando Torres played too many times. He looks like someone who has completely fallen out of love with football. And didn't Michael Owen say something similar?
The problem for players is that nobody thinks about their long-term future. Managers use their best players continually because they need them.
Their jobs last a year or two; they don't think about what is going to be best for the player in a decade. There are a few former pros who look back with bitter feelings at how they were used.
Money plays a huge part. The Spain players are not happy about friendly games around the world, but they receive a slice of the match fees. They're striking while the iron is hot, but don't expect those players to be at the top of their game in April when the biggest club games come around.
I know, I've been there and seen players lose form because they are physically and mentally drained.
Isn't that what happened to Barcelona recently, when Xavi complained that they hadn't been able to reach their usual "intensity"? I'm not surprised, they must be exhausted.
It is not just about clubs cashing in, but feeling that they have to keep up. Chelsea and Manchester City are both very wealthy, but they played a game in the United States last week because the business arms want to promote their clubs in the United States to attract fans and sponsors.
The players don't like it (not that they would ever say it, publicly), but they are all contracted to go. That added another week or two to the ever-lengthening football season which commenced with pre-season training at the start of July. Some international footballers are now playing football every month of the year.
When I began as a professional, the close season lasted two months. You could switch off and let your body relax after 10 months of playing twice a week and taking trains, planes and automobiles.
You would get through the season on adrenalin, especially if you were playing on a winning team, but along the way your body picked up knocks, your muscles tears. It needs to recover.
Mentally, you need time away from football, too. Time to spend with your family you have not seen enough of for 10 months. I'd go to the Caribbean with them, where it's very laid-back. I'd soon get into that rhythm, switching off, watching the sea and doing very little. I felt reinvigorated after it.
Then I'd take a break with my wife, to New York or somewhere which has nothing to do with football. Then a short holiday with friends, to Spain or Las Vegas. After three holidays in two months I'd be charged up and ready for the new season.
You need that, to see your friends, as opposed to your work friends, to eat food you wouldn't otherwise eat or do things you couldn't otherwise do. I wanted to do a bungee jump. My mates stopped me because they said it was dangerous.
Being dangerous did not stop Roy Keane and Nicky Butt taking a glider ride off a cliff during the season. Butty, Roy and Ryan Giggs and I were sitting by the pool at our hotel in Rio de Janiero for the World Club Championship. They saw the glider fly from a cliff nearby and over the Atlantic Ocean. I realised it was Friday 13th and ducked out. So did Giggsy.
Next thing, we hear these screams. Keane and Butty were up the sky having the time of their lives. We were laughing. The manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, had no idea what was going on and he never did find out.
That same manager would give players time off during the season if he felt they were either A: fatigued or B: young and homesick. He was a good judge of knowing when someone needed a rest, even if the players didn't always agree. There should be more managers who do the same.
Andrew Cole's column is written with the assistance of European football correspondent Andy Mitten.
sports@thenational.ae
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
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Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
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Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
Sundar Pichai
Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
President and chief executive, Mastercard
Shantanu Narayen
Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
Indra Nooyi
Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo
Results
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m | Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Al Shamkhah, Royston Ffrench, Sandeep Jadhav
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m | Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m | Winner: Kawasir, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m | Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m | Winner: Quartier Francais, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
The%20specs
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Company%20profile%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYodawy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Egypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKarim%20Khashaba%2C%20Sherief%20El-Feky%20and%20Yasser%20AbdelGawad%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHealthTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2424.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlgebra%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20MEVP%20and%20Delivery%20Hero%20Ventures%2C%20among%20others%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20500%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
