Ahead of the new season, Wolves manager, Nuno Espirito Santo has joined his Chelsea counterpart, Frank Lampard in appealing to the Premier League to give teams in Europe an extended break.
This he said was to protect their players sustaining injuries ahead of the September 12 starting date.
Futballnews reported that Lampard urged the football body to give teams participating in European competitions break so that players can recharge their batteries.
Wolves and Manchester United are the remaining English teams in the competition. The final is scheduled for August 21, which will be a month before the commencement of the new season. This means that clubs in the competition might not have the time to prepare for preseason.
Wolves will be welcoming Olympiacos, who knocked out Arsenal tonight at the Molineux after drawing the first leg 1-1 in Athens before the lockdown break.
Premier League players’ rest need to be looked at
Meanwhile, with a healthy away goal, Wolves could progress all the way to the final. Due to this, Nuno feels players need to be looked after.
“I’m hopeful the Premier League will look at that and allow the teams involved a little bit more time.
“Mainly because of the players – they need time. We know we have a tight schedule next season and they must be aware of the health of the players and must take care of them.
“The Premier League should acknowledge the teams involved in Europe, depending on how far they go, as the players require more time to recover. We are going to play in August and we’re going to start playing again in September. I’m sure they will look at it and adjust the schedule.
“For sure, no team will be able to give too much time for the players to recover. It’s why we’re approaching it as a continuation of what we’ve been doing so we’re prepared to start again.”
The Portuguese tactician, who also said it can’t be a stop and go situation, pointed out that there is a need for an adjustment.
Is European football possible for Wolves next season?
The winner of the game will play a quarter-final clash either against Roma or Sevilla in Germany in a one-legged affair. The competition was moved to Germany behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Since European football is out of their hands next season courtesy of Arsenal’s FA Cup win over Chelsea, Wolves, that finished 7th on the Premier League table will want to throw in everything they have by trying to win the competition.
Winning the competition would be a blessing in disguise for the Molineux side as that will earn them an automatic slot in the Champions League next season.
Nuno’s team that was initially six before the last day fixtures also lost the final qualifying spot to Tottenham Hotspurs after their 2-0 loss to Chelsea. The Blues, courtesy of the win, sealed the fourth spot- the final Champions League qualifying slot.
Reacting to the situation, midfielder Leander Dendoncker insisted they are recharged and ready to play again.
“It has been very long with the break of lockdown and self-isolation but it has been a very nice season as well. We’ve had ups and downs but more ups.
“It was a shame for the last game, Chelsea, finishing with the same points at Tottenham but not going into Europe (on goal difference).
“We can be very happy with the season so far and we have to do our best to end it in Europe as well.
“We’ve had some rest and days off. It’s very important to reload the batteries and be 100 per cent ready. Let’s hope we can win and go to the next stage.”
