FC Barcelona striker superemo Robert Lewandowski has said, ahead of the New York City El Clasico that too much football is being played right now. Lewandowski expressed his concerns that all the added fixtures are contributing to a decline in the overall quality of matches.
“This season is going to be more tough than before because we have more games in the Champions League … there are the games with the club but also the national team, so we travel a lot,” Lewandowski told ESPN.
El Clasico FYIs
Club Friendly: Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona, Watch: ESPN
Kickoff: Sat Aug. 3, 7:30 ET, Met Life Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, USA
FC Barcelona Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Real Madrid Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Buy the book: Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America
“That will be a huge challenge for every club and every player, because the expectations are always very high, and you play every two days, and people expect you play every game at the highest level. It’s almost impossible to stay on top of your game, every game, because you don’t have time for resting well, you don’t have time to be outside of football in your mind … We are human, we are not machines.
“Probably in the end, the quality of the games of football will a little bit be going down because of the intensity of the games.”
He certainly makes a point or two right there. I mean look at this match, and its place within the greater framework of it all. Preseason tours of foreign countries are proliferating and expanding. Yes, they need preseason matches to warm up on, but we know why they come here to the United States of America- commercial interests!
These tours are marketing exercises, or cash grabs.
That said, a good time will still had by all at the home of the New York Giants and Jets. After all, the NFL has just expanded its schedule too. Look for Lewy to start Saturday night in NYC; well the metropolitan area. Here is who we think will join him.
FC Barcelona Starting XI Prediction vs Real Madrid (El Clasico Friendly)
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen; Jules Kounde, Inigo Martinez, Clement Lenglet, Alejandro Balde; Marc Casado, Pablo Torre, Ilkay Gundogan; Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Pau Victor
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.