September 19 – On the eve of the new Champions League season and the rollout of a new competition format, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has questioned why players never get a say in calendar reform.
The 2024-25 Champions League will include an extended group phase with participating clubs playing eight matches until January before the knockout stage gets underway in a season that will finish with the expanded 32-team Club World Cup in the United States.
Liverpool won’t feature in the FIFA competition, but Alisson lamented that players are never part of the consultation process when the match calendar is discussed.
“For us players, it is good that you are going to play against the best in Europe. But it is always a good idea to add some games to the calendar that is not busy… I am being a little bit ironic! Sometimes nobody asks the players what they think about adding more games,” said Alisson.
“Maybe our opinion doesn’t matter, but everybody knows what we think about having more games. Everybody’s tired of that.”
“It is a matter of sitting down all together and listening to all the parties. We have the media and TV, UEFA and FIFA, Premier League, domestic competitions.
“So many players have spoken already about it, we just need to be listened to,” he added. “If you are tired you cannot compete at a high level. What I want is to give my best in all the games I play.”
“At the moment it doesn’t look like we are close to a solution for football’s sake and for the players’ sake.”
The Brazilian goalkeeper echoed the opinion of his former manager Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City star Rodri who said earlier this summer that “There comes a moment when it all comes together and it’s too much.”
Recently, World Players Union Fifpro published a study that confirmed some elite players featured in seventy to eight matches last season. This campaign promises to be very long yet again, starting on Tuesday for Liverpool and Alisson at the San Siro against AC Milan.
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