Wolves defender Nelson Semedo has had his say on something that has caused major Premier League controversy this season, in particular with figures like Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.
Wolves’ Premier League campaign is slowly drawing to a close, and all things considered, it will go down as a decent season for Vitor Pereira’s side.
Wolves’ second-half-of-the-season resurgence was fantastic. Players like Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri were a huge part of that.
Photo by Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
But with games always coming thick and fast, squad depth is also vitally important. No one knows that more than Wolves captain, Nelson Semedo.
Nelson Semedo’s interesting take on resting between Premier League matches
Wolves have a 10-day break between Premier League matches, which is an extremely rare occurrence in modern-day football, and something that Semedo has stated he doesn’t like.
Speaking to Wolves’ official website, when asked about having a 10-day rest between matches, soon to be out-of-contract Semedo responded: “To be honest, I think physically, I’d rather play games.
“I think my body responds better when I play three games in three days or something like that.
“I know there is some consequences when you when you have a big gap like that and the body can kind of relax a little bit, but it’s why we’re making sure that we are working hard outside to switch on the body a little bit.
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“But honestly, to me, if I could play three games in three days, it will be really nice because it’s play, rest, play, rest. But obviously if you’re not playing, or if you’re not playing that much, it’s hard for you because you have no time to train and to get your fitness up, but personally, I’d choose that.”
Interesting take from the Portuguese full-back. A take, that not many prevalent figures within England’s top flight would agree with.
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Pep Guardiola, Rodri and Enzo Maresca would all disagree
In September 2024, shortly before his season-ending injury, Manchester City midfielder Rodri warned that footballers were “close to going on strike” over the relentless fixture schedule. His manager, Pep Guardiola, echoed that concern.
“If something is going to change, it must come from the players. They are the only ones who can change something,” Guardiola said.
“The business can be without managers, sporting directors, media, owners but without players you cannot play. They alone have the power to do it.”
Chelsea boss Maresca also shared the same thoughts. He backed up Guardiola’s comments by stating in a press conference: “Yes, no doubt. In terms of games, it’s too much. I don’t think we protect players. We can say what we think and for me it’s completely wrong the amount of games that we have.
Former Manchester United star Raphael Varane also echoed thoughts of players being overworked back in 2023.
We had a meeting last week with the FA. They recommended from the referees new decisions and rules.
From the managers and players, we have shared our concerns for many years now that there are too many games, the schedule is overcrowded, and it’s at a dangerous level for…
— Raphaël Varane (@raphaelvarane) August 7, 2023
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Semedo appears to be in the minority. The Wolves defender has taken a different stance – he would prefer to play as many games as possible in a short period.
To be fair, Wolves haven’t faced the kind of congested fixture list that comes with European football. If they had, Semedo’s outlook might be different.