Matt Hughes in today's Times...re LFC, Recovery Times and Roy
If such demands are taken to their logical conclusion then Liverpool’s players will struggle to have any kind of international career at all, as there are only two full days between all of England’s matches in the European Championship campaign. The same is often true at tournaments, and no international manager should be expected to select players who are unable to train between games, except in the most extraordinary circumstances.
Interestingly it only appears to be Liverpool who are making such demands. Arsenal had five players in the England squad this week, with Theo Walcott likely to join his club-mates next month, yet Arsene Wenger has had no complaints, while given his recent experience on the other side of the fence Louis Van Gaal has made no attempt to restrain Wayne Rooney’s activities on international duty.
With other international federations the issue just does not seem to arise. Thibaut Courtois played for Belgium against Andorra last week just five days after being knocked unconscious, for example, while Chelsea have also got used to waving Diego Costa off to international duty with Spain despite his dodgy hamstrings.
The FA have been a soft touch for too long however, and it is time for Hodgson to fight back. The players themselves may be his best weapon, as they may start to demand to train daily if told that the alternative is permanent residence on the bench.
In this context Hodgson’s handling of the Sterling issue may have been shrewder than it first appeared.
Rodgers has obviously realised he has historical precedence to uphold in the true traditions of Special Dispensation FC. We can sit back and wait for the egos to kick in when the Tired Ones are benched. Im sure Sturridge would be thoroughly delighted to relinquish his place on occasion to Rickie Lambert.
