SPORT
Christmas
Chaos:
The Impact of the Festive Period on the Mental Health of Professional Footballers hristmas. What’s one word that comes to mind when you think about Christmas? Family, correct? Christmas is all about togetherness and spending time with your loved ones to celebrate the tradition. Though for footballers in England’s top four divisions, family comes second-place during the festive period. The festive schedule works as a treat for fans of the English football team, providing action-packed entertainment on a mostly daily basis. With that said, is this intense schedule fair on the players? You could make a case that the festive period in English football plays a pivotal role in the failure of the England national team at major tournaments. Prior to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, England’s record on the international stage was poor. Finishing bottom of their group at the 2014 World Cup and prior to that, being knocked out by Italy in the Quarter-Finals at Euro 2012. Whilst there has been significant improvement in England’s performances, runners-up at the delayed Euro 2020 and fourth place at the 2018 World Cup, the reality is that England still lacks the grit to go on and triumph on the big stages. The reason for their constant, consistent shortcomings may be more obvious than first thought. The festive period in the top European leagues differs massively from the English Premier League. This season, the Spanish La Liga will take a planned hiatus from 19 December- 2 January. Meanwhile, Italian Serie A will take a break from 22 December and return on 6 January. In Germany, the Bundesliga will be on hiatus from 18 December until 8 January. In comparison, there will be no planned hiatus for footballers in the Premier League as matchday 14-21 has already been scheduled between 14
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