User Review
( votes)A winter of discontent in the Premier League and La Liga
English excuses
England’s abject performances in recent times in major global competitions have been a cause of national consternation, embarrassment and debate, and there aremany well-prepared explanations given as a cause. However, gravitas has certainly been awarded in recent times to the effect of the winter break – or lack of – which, until now, has been a uniquely English phenomenon. Fans and football tipsters alike are fully aware of the festive madness that descends English football over the Christmas period in particular, with the nation’s top clubs playing on both the 26th and 28th of December in what can only be described as a paradise for fans and a time of unrivalled opportunity for football tipsters.
A festive frenzy of La Liga
Yet for once, fingers cannot be solely pointed in the direction of England’s Football Association for this apparent self-inflicted disadvantage, as Spain’s top clubs also find themselves at the beginning of a unprecedented fixture schedule designed to accommodate Barcelona’s participation in the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan between 10th and 20th December, and Spain boss Vicente Del Bosque’s determination that the league campaign would not be extended to 22nd May, less than three weeks before his side’s defence of their European Championship crown. For this reason, a full roundof La Liga fixtures will be played on Wednesday December 30th, as well as on the following weekend of 2nd /3rd January. Spanish football aficionados and top football tipsters will be licking their lips in anticipation – player’s families may not be so enamoured.
A European Break
However, in the rest of Europe’s ‘big 5’ leagues, normal winter rest periods will be enforced as usual. In Serie A there is a significant break from fixtures between Sunday 20th December and Wednesday 6th January, whereas in the Bundesliga, the winter break is even more entrenched. Most Bundesliga sides will play their final game of 2015 on Saturday 19th December, and won’t return to action until Saturday 23rd January (Hamburg & Bayern Munich will be back a day earlier on the 22nd). Is there really any need to look for any reason if German players show superior levels of energy and vigour at the business end of the season? Meanwhile, in France, the final 2015 fixtures of Ligue 1 will take place on the same weekend 19th/20th December, and all sides return to action on Saturday 9th January. Football tipsters of all persuasions will be hard-pressed in failing to find a fixture to predict on with so much action elsewhere in Europe, however.
The Numbers
These dates alone are enough to run a shiver down the spine of any professional player plying his trade in England or Spain.Yet that shiver will be a result of excitement if you are a Premier League or La Liga football tipster or fan, of course. Yet the true eye-watering prospect facing Europe’s finest footballers is evident in the numbers of games to be played over this period. Let us considerlast season’s champions from each of the five big leagues mentioned, and analyse the fixtures awaiting those teams over the coming two months, from the start of December 2015 until the end of January 2016. The finest football tipsters will already be ahead of you in this respect
England – Chelsea – 12 potential matches, 11 minimum
Spain – Barcelona – 16 potential matches, 11 minimum
Italy – Juventus – 11 potential matches, 10 minimum
Germany – Bayern Munich – 7 matches
France – Paris Saint-Germain – 11 potential matches, 10 minimum
The consequences?
The biggest difference appears between Barcelona and Bayern Munich’s fixture lists, and lest we forget these are two potential rivals in the latter stages of this season’s Champions League, as well as clubs from two of the main contending countries for next summer’s European Championship finals in France – Spain as the holders and Germany as the reigning World champions. 9 more matches in such a short space of time does not just infringe on a player’s energy levels in the immediate aftermath of such a fixture pile-up, but could be one of the defining factors towards the end of the season and in a major summer international competition. All factors well within the scope of a football tipster’s evaluative efforts.
One thing is for certain, with so many important games taking place over such a short period of time, the only smart choice is to follow the expert football tipsters who are as prepared for such a schedule as any professional player, and who can be found dispensing their invaluable advice only on Betadvisor.com.