Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp must be hiding behind the sofas instead of watching their players play for their respective countries during international breaks.
These players will return to their clubs in the coming days and their fitness will be assessed before the focus turns to the Premier League title race.
Guardiola saw two of his players, Kyle Walker and John Stones, injured on England duty, but it was Liverpool’s squad that did the most work during the break from domestic football.
Klopp’s players on international duty played an average of 120 minutes in two matches; This included Konstantinos Tsimikas heading into extra time during Greece’s European play-off qualification defeat to Georgia.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk played two full games each, while Andy Robertson injured himself while playing for Scotland with an apparent ankle complaint. Liverpool face Brighton at home on Sunday and also saw Joe Gomez come off the bench twice, causing England to play 103 minutes.
Guardiola, who played against Brazil and Belgium after the injuries suffered by Walker and Stones, sweated in the championship match against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Matheus Nunes also has a hit.
City’s players played an average of 109 minutes in the two international matches and more players were on the field. Southgate insisted there was no risk of playing Stones for a second time in four days, while other City players such as Erling Haaland and Nathan Ake also played twice.
While Arsenal players played an average of 118 minutes, they saw Bukayo Saka return home without kicking the ball as an injury precaution. Jakob Kiwior played 210 minutes after Poland were beaten on penalties by Wales to qualify for the Euros.
Speaking at Wembley following the draw with Belgium, Southgate stressed that players’ data was analyzed before decisions were made on players’ workloads and that Stones had returned after a spell on the sidelines, so overwork was not an issue. Walker had a hamstring problem at the end of the international break and Stones’ adductor will need to be assessed.
“We measure everything and the first game for him wasn’t a high level of intensity in terms of intensity,” Southgate said. “We did the same thing the Netherlands did with Virgil van Dijk tonight. What Norway did with Erling Haaland and [Martin] Odegaard starts again. It started in the Netherlands [Nathan] Ake again.
“So it just seems to fall on us when there’s a question about that. Of course we would be disappointed if there was a problem. John also came in because he hadn’t played for two weeks, so it’s not an extreme situation. “But I hate sending players back to their clubs if they’re not fully fit.”
Robertson’s injury, which he suffered while playing for Scotland against Northern Ireland, is potentially significant given the importance Liverpool place at left-back. Robertson suffered an ankle injury following a goal scored by teammate Conor Bradley in Glasgow.
“I’m disappointed,” Bradley said. “I didn’t get a chance to talk to him but I was right behind him and he looked pretty bad, I think he moved his ankle or something like that. It was a very bad incident, but I hope it’s nothing serious.
“I’ll give him a message and see how he does. I’ll wish him the best and probably come back on Thursday to see him then. He is very important for us, he has been one of the best left-backs in the Premier League for the last 10 years and he has contributed a lot to me in my career. “I learned a lot from him.”
Overworking has been an issue this season, especially with matches having a 10-minute stoppage time, meaning extra playing time throughout the season. Manchester United’s Raphaël Varane was a strong voice saying football needed to pay more attention to its players.
“For years we have shared with our managers and players our concerns about having too many matches, the schedule being overcrowded and the level of danger for the physical and mental health of the players,” Varane said.
“Despite our previous feedback they have now made suggestions for next season: longer games, more intensity and less emotion shown by the players. We just want to do well on the pitch and give 100 per cent to our club and our fans. Why aren’t our views being listened to?”
While the Professional Footballers’ Association also made statements about the workload, CEO Maheta Molango stated that City’s Champions League victory was the 61st match of the last season and that it was a show that Kevin De Bruyne had to leave early.
“This is definitely not what we want to see. The Champions League final is supposed to be our Super Bowl,” he said. “It wasn’t because De Bruyne, one of the best players in the world, went off in the 30th minute. [Erling] Haaland was exhausted; Rodri, a high-level athlete, said he had cramps after 60 minutes. “We’ve reached a stage where for us it’s not just about the player’s health, it’s about killing the product.”