Sports media has noted that the congested schedule of international matches and frequent travel have increased physical demands on Barcelona's national team players, requiring Flick to carefully manage their playing time.

This year UEFA adjusted the Nations League format in hopes of better managing player fatigue, but the author argues this goal has not been achieved. During national team camps, players face not only matches but also travel, airport transfers, climate changes, dietary adjustments, different training facilities, and disrupted daily training routines.

Taking Spain's national team as an example: between September 26 and October 6, the team played 4 matches in just 11 days—averaging nearly one match every four days with no complete rest days. During this period, the team also made four relocations, creating additional strain on players.

The day after a match is primarily devoted to recovery, while the day before the next match typically includes low-intensity tactical training. Between two matches, players barely get a proper workout; even when they do, it's mainly tactical in nature, making it difficult to schedule high-intensity physical training since players have already accumulated significant match time.

The author notes that during this period, players have only around 3 full training days while managing frequent travel and a congested match schedule. It's unsurprising that injuries occur in national teams; the problem lies in accumulated match load, travel fatigue, and insufficient training to maintain fitness.

Most national team players returned to their clubs on Wednesday, just three days before the next league match. Having only arrived Wednesday evening after playing Tuesday night, they cannot train properly. They can manage one normal training session on Thursday, and Friday—being the day before the match—must have reduced intensity.

According to the author, after 11 days of intense matches, player management is critical. When circumstances allow, it's better to leave them on the bench in the next league match, using them only when absolutely necessary, and limiting their playing time to reduce injury risk.

Priority should be given to players not called up to national teams, or those called up but who played less. However, this approach is more difficult for top clubs. Barcelona has many national team players, many of whom are key players for their senior or U21 teams and play nearly the entire match.

Therefore, Flick may need to field some national team players in the starting lineup for the next match. The author believes the key is to distribute playing time rationally and, when the score is favorable, reduce the minutes of those who played extensively for their national teams. Barcelona's next league opponent is Getafe, a highly competitive team, and Barcelona needs the win, so Flick must manage player load carefully.

The author also recommends that during the three days between national team players' return to the club and the next league match, priority should be given to recovery training, reduced training load, and alleviating accumulated muscular and mental fatigue as much as possible. The team should also focus on hydration and nutrition tailored to player needs to help them regain energy.

Sports physiotherapists specializing in injury prevention are also important to the recovery process, while adequate sleep helps players recover and readjust after extended camps and travel. The author personally advocates giving these players two days off to spend time with family and temporarily escape match pressure, then returning to training on Friday to reintegrate with teammates.

The author believes Klopp's past approach is worth learning from: a large squad of approximately 40 players allows better distribution of playing time and load management. However, team results were not always perfect, and Klopp faced significant criticism for this, despite his decisions fully accounting for players' physical and psychological well-being.

The article also suggests that if Barcelona were playing El Clásico this weekend, the match's enormous emotional and physical demands could further increase injury risk and make players more anxious, leading to diminished performance quality. The author attributes this to accumulated fatigue, insufficient physical freshness, and too many matches and relocations in a short period during the international break.

The author concludes by emphasizing that maintaining training continuity is very important for players. Good physical conditioning is the foundation for performance and also requires continuous technical and tactical training. During international breaks, players compete every 3-4 days with almost no time for physical training and often return to their clubs already exhausted, making it difficult to maintain training continuity.

The article notes that although players are professional footballers with high incomes, they are still subject to fatigue, overtraining, poor form, and depleted energy—which directly affects performance. To see exciting football, players need to approach matches with surplus energy.

Переведено ИИ.

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