We're going to have an ever so slightly packed schedule at the start of the season:
Thu 17/09 - Europa League Qualifying
Sun 20/09 - Premier League
Tue 22/09 - League Cup Round 3
Thu 24/09 - Europa League Qualifying
Sun 27/09 - Premier League
Tue 29/09 - League Cup Round 4
Thu 01/10 - Europa League Qualifying
Fri 02/10 - R.I.P.
The EL qualifiers are all one leg, random draw, this year, so if we're lucky we might get drawn at home. The nightmare scenario is being drawn away in some far flung place like Kazakhstan, so the one day of "rest" becomes players sitting on a plane for five or six hours instead.
It's going to be impossible for the first team squad to cope with that schedule; three matches in five days, with possible long haul travel involved, two weeks running. I think the only possible solution is that we play a 100% youth side in the League Cup so that the first team can have a normal league at the weekend, Europe in midweek, schedule.
(I've assumed that our Premier League games will be moved to Sundays, as they always are for teams in the Europa League. Even if they're not moved it doesn't make much difference as it just means we'd have one day of rest between the EL and PL instead of between the PL and LC. We're buggered either way!)
Edit: on an unrelated note, as we lost a tight 7-2 and not a humiliating 8-2 against Bayern Munich, that must mean that Spurs > Barcelona
I see this morning that Poch is being touted for the Barca job. He's said a few times that he wouldn't ever manage Barca because of his connection with Espanyol; I wonder if he'll stick to that if they offer him the job.
Thu 17/09 - Europa League Qualifying
Sun 20/09 - Premier League
Tue 22/09 - League Cup Round 3
Thu 24/09 - Europa League Qualifying
Sun 27/09 - Premier League
Tue 29/09 - League Cup Round 4
Thu 01/10 - Europa League Qualifying
Fri 02/10 - R.I.P.
The EL qualifiers are all one leg, random draw, this year, so if we're lucky we might get drawn at home. The nightmare scenario is being drawn away in some far flung place like Kazakhstan, so the one day of "rest" becomes players sitting on a plane for five or six hours instead.
It's going to be impossible for the first team squad to cope with that schedule; three matches in five days, with possible long haul travel involved, two weeks running. I think the only possible solution is that we play a 100% youth side in the League Cup so that the first team can have a normal league at the weekend, Europe in midweek, schedule.
(I've assumed that our Premier League games will be moved to Sundays, as they always are for teams in the Europa League. Even if they're not moved it doesn't make much difference as it just means we'd have one day of rest between the EL and PL instead of between the PL and LC. We're buggered either way!)
Edit: on an unrelated note, as we lost a tight 7-2 and not a humiliating 8-2 against Bayern Munich, that must mean that Spurs > Barcelona

I see this morning that Poch is being touted for the Barca job. He's said a few times that he wouldn't ever manage Barca because of his connection with Espanyol; I wonder if he'll stick to that if they offer him the job.
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