Louis van Gaal’s English still needs slight work, but he made it clear he wants a winter break.
The Manchester United manager called the lack of a winter break in Premier League play “the most evil thing of this culture.”
Managers are always looking for time off for their players. Heck, they practically beg for it sometimes. But in the English top flight, rest is the opposite of what teams face during the holiday season.
And Van Gaal was as blunt as can be, even blaming England’s lack of success on the rigorous fixture list.
“It is not good for English football,” Van Gaal said at his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby. “It is not good for the clubs or the national team and I think you should change it. England has not won anything for how many years? It is because all the players are exhausted at the end of the season.”
During the holiday season, Manchester United has quite the packed schedule. While other leagues take up to a month off, Manchester United will play four matches between December 19 and January 2, including a Boxing Day visit to Stoke City and a potentially massive home bout with Chelsea two days later.
In comparison, La Liga builds a 10-day hold around Christmas, Serie A has 17 days off, France’s Ligue 1 has 21 days between matches around the holiday season, while the Bundesliga sits for over a month between December 19 and January 23. The Champions League takes a two month break from early December to mid-February.
Louis van Gaal may not have meant exactly his word choice, but there’s no doubt his point was made.