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With eight players currently unavailable to Real Madrid though injury, Los Blancos veteran believes players will be willing to take extreme measures to combat the growing concern of fixture congestion
Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal has become the latest professional footballer to add his voice to the growing concerns over player welfare and the gruelling fixture schedule in Europe’s top leagues.
Carvajal wary about current fixture congestion
Real Madrid have one of many top clubs affected by a slew of major injuries this season and will host Napoli in the UEFA Champions League with as many as eight first-team players out with varying degrees of setbacks.
Carvajal spoke to journalists ahead of the match against Napoli, decrying the state of affairs in the top leagues and the resulting injuries to players who are being crushed under the weight of an exhausting schedule.
The five-time Champions League winner said, “It is very demanding. With the new Club World Cup, we are not going to have free summers. It is a very complete topic, but what is a reality is that there are many injuries. It is not a good thing to have so many casualties.”
Carvajal believes players will reduce salaries to combat fixture congestion
As far as solutions to the problem, Carvajal was certain that players would be willing to reduce their enormous salaries if it meant that the schedule got less jampacked with club and international fixtures that left little time for recuperation.
The defender acknowledged that not all players would agree to such a move, but seemed sure that the majority would be willing to, saying, “It’s something complex. There are many players who do not agree that there are so many games… in many cases inconsequential.
“Then they always say ‘Well, if they want to play less, they should lower their salary.’ We have never said that we would not lower it. You can’t squeeze the players so much, and the quality of the games is lower.
“If we have to lower our salary in terms of a percentage, then we will do so.”
Despite ongoing injury concerns, Real Madrid have still managed to climb to the top of LaLIga and could consolidate their spot at the top of their Champions League group with a victory over Napoli.
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