The top clubs no longer play in clean weekly rhythms. They move from league matches to Europe, into cups, then straight back to national-team duty. Recovery windows shrink. Rotation becomes harder when every game carries consequence.
One recent report says Arsenal could have five players involved in as many as 78 to 83 matchday squads for club and country across the wider period. The same report flags David Raya and Martin Zubimendi as examples of that strain.
This is where the calendar debate turns serious. Sports-science staff, managers and player representatives have been warning for years that overload is not only a fatigue issue; it is an injury-risk issue. Soft-tissue problems, reduced sharpness and longer recovery cycles tend to appear when players spend month after month without genuine breaks.
A World Cup year makes that risk sharper. Summer demand remains high, travel is heavier and climate conditions can become another variable. For clubs chasing honours, the paradox is obvious: the better you perform, the more exposed your squad becomes.
Arsenal are the example here, but they are far from the only case. The wider trend reaches every major league and every squad supplying internationals. The next question is whether football’s regulators act before the next congestion spike arrives. As the new season gathers pace, the story to watch is not only who wins, but which contenders can keep their key players standing by spring.