Premier League players have suffered because the competition started “so early” after the World Cup, says England manager Gareth Southgate.
The first match of the Premier League season took place on Friday, 10 August – 26 days after the World Cup final.
“I think it’s a lack of psychological freshness, rather than physical,” said Southgate, whose team face Spain in the Nations League in Seville on Monday.
But he acknowledged it was a “complex scenario” for the “decision-makers”.
And it is understood the Premier League feels it has very little room for manoeuvre because of the number of dates allotted to Fifa and Uefa competitions in the schedule.
Southgate, speaking at his pre-match news conference on Sunday, said: “A lot of teams haven’t started yet at the level when they are at their maximum and there are a lot of injuries across our league. Read more