Go to bed earlier and international limit: Italian proposals to protect tired players

Aurelio De Laurentiis has made headlines by claiming that players should not be allowed to play for their national teams after they turn 23, while Massimiliano Allegri has proposed to change the time for evening fixtures.

Two proposals that might help clubs and players to deal with fatigue from a packed fixture list have emerged from Italian football in recent days.

Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said on Saturday that perhaps, a good way to give more rest to the players, is to move kick-off time ahead to allow players to go to bed earlier.

“Football has evolved and become globalised; we absolutely can’t go backwards. I read something a while ago suggesting moving matches from 20:45 (CET) to 20:00,” Allegri said at a press conference on the eve of a Serie A match against Fiorentina.

“It would allow players to go to bed earlier. An extra three hours of rest could be an additional help for them. That could be a solution.”

Milan had had 15 players joining their national teams during the October break, more than any other club in Serie A, and many of them, including regular starters Christian Pulisic, Adrien Rabiot and Pervis Estupinan, returned injured.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christopher Nkunku were also unavailable for Sunday’s match against Fiorentina, coming back from injuries after the break, which means Allegri only had two senior outfield players available on the bench last night.

After Allegi, Napoli President De Laurentiis also offered his solution to decreasing the number of minutes played by footballers, adding that clubs should be paid more when one of their players leaves for international matches.

“There are too many games, and I think footballers will no longer be able to play 50, 60 or 70 games [per season],” De Laurentiis said on Sunday.

“They haven’t understood that there should be a cap for international players. After you’ve turned 23, you can no longer go with the national team, because you have to discover the new ones.

“If you even play those who are over-30, and they get injured, you are kicking the domestic leagues in the shins, and there’s no respect for these leagues.

“Furthermore, there isn’t sufficient fee for the loan of a player who, for 12 months, is paid by clubs. This should also be regulated.”