NEWS
Argentina head coach criticizes World Cup schedule
Ahead of Argentina's Round of 16 match, Lionel Scaloni complains about the tightly packed schedule in the knockout phase.
Are the players being asked too much at the World Cup?
Ahead of his team's Round of 16 match against Egypt (starting 6 PM in the LIVE ticker), Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni complains about the tightly packed schedule in the knockout phase.
"The closer you get to the end and the more games have been played, the more recovery you need – but the exact opposite is happening," Scaloni notes.
"The recovery time is not ideal"
Four days ago, Argentina played the Round of 32 against Cape Verde and had to go into extra time. Some players suffered cramps.
The heat in Miami had taken its toll on his team. "And now we're playing again at midday," Scaloni laments, demanding longer breaks: "The recovery time is not ideal."
Five games in 17 days?
Incidentally, opponents Egypt were also in action on Friday. However, Mo Salah and Co. had an earlier kick-off time than Argentina – according to Scaloni "not a huge difference, but I believe that recovery becomes all the more important the further the World Cup progresses."
Should Argentina reach the final, the team would have played five games within 17 days.
