Three teams that may prefer no winter break?
Over the years there have been plenty of calls for a winter break but now it is here, not all Premier League teams will be happy.
The argument for a break in the Premier League has always been a fair one. Players risk burn-out without one, while the England national side could also be hampered by the fact the players are exhausted and cannot perform at their best during the World Cup and European Championship.
The rest of Europe gets a break and now so does the Premier League, albeit not at the same time.
Keen not to mess with the traditional festive fixture period that sees teams playing three or four games in a short space of time, the break comes right now at the start of February.
It now gives clubs the chance to give their players a much-needed rest and, while the vast majority will welcome it, not all will.
So who are the clubs who would prefer to play on or don’t really see the benefit of it? Here are three for starters.
Tottenham
Jose Mourinho likes the idea of a winter break as it has worked when he has coached at the likes of Inter Milan and Real Madrid. However, he is not impressed with this one, particularly the timing of it.
Spurs have every right to feel aggrieved with the heavy work load over Christmas, losing a number of players to injury, including star striker Harry Kane.
https://twitter.com/ChelseaFC/status/1222545030625341441
Mourinho believes the time off should coincide with the rest of Europe and has also rendered the whole break pretty useless because, once it is over, they have to cram in two games in the space of four days, including a Champions League clash with RB Leipzig.
Bournemouth
The timing of the break could possibly not come at a worse time for Bournemouth as they battle to beat the drop. The Cherries had been on a shocking run of form, sliding all the way into the Premier League relegation zone, but have just won their last two games to climb out of it.
So the last thing Eddie Howe now wants is a break in play. The next game could not come quick enough as they look to keep the momentum going and thankfully they do get the chance to pick up more points on Sunday when they face Sheffield United away.
A positive result at Bramall Lane will further widen Howe’s smile but he might find himself ruing the fortnight’s break.
Bournemouth have shown themselves to be streaky in the past. For instance, they lost just one of their eight games before their recent slump and having time off when his team are rediscovering their form will not please the boss.
Burnley
The same could be said of Burnley, who have also found some form following a poor run of form. Back-to-back wins followed by a goalless draw against Arsenal on Sunday have lifted spirits at Turf Moor and the Clarets would rather play on.
They are next in Premier League action on February 15 when they make the trip to Southampton, who have rallied over recent weeks to pull themselves up the table.
