The special Bundesliga season with the interruption of the World Cup from mid-November presents the football clubs with unprecedented challenges.
"There were already several trains of thought at the meetings within the league," said Wolfsburg sports director Marcel Schäfer in a survey by the German Press Agency. There are "different approaches: Do you play a tournament? When do you give up - immediately after the last Bundesliga game or do you continue training first?" From November 14th, the Bundesliga will be suspended for two months because of the Qatar tournament.
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"It's a challenge for the teams that have a large number of players because they start the World Cup without much preparation," said Augsburg managing director Stefan Reuter. "At the other clubs, most of the squad will have a break, as is usually the case in the summer." His Berlin colleague Fredi Bobic from Hertha BSC said that the long interruption into the winter was "certainly not ideal for league operations". But that applies “ultimately to everyone, and we want to make the best of this new situation”.
FIFA's cancellation period for the World Cup (November 21 to December 18) begins directly on November 14. By then, the Bundesliga clubs should have completed 15 matchdays. The European Cup starters are also challenged in their group phases, which should be completed before the World Cup break. The second round of the DFB Cup (October 18/19) is also on the agenda.
"Generally speaking, we have to be careful in football not to overdo things," said RB Leipzig coach Domenico Tedesco. "In terms of the stress on the top players, that's now borderline. But that doesn't just apply to the World Cup." Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann said: "From September it will be crisp." Due to the tight schedule, "injuries this year are twice as bad."
