Why are the English 'giants' suffering with the FA Cup?

LIVERPOOL MUST LET GO

"When you change your formation like Arne Slot's Liverpool did, every team risks falling apart. Liverpool played so badly. They have fallen far behind their usual standards," former midfielder Craig Hignett told reporters shortly after Liverpool were eliminated from the FA Cup fourth round.

Coach Slot and Liverpool have to "give up" the FA Cup

Liverpool lead the Premier League, while Plymouth are… bottom of the English First Division. However, the gap of up to 53 places between the two teams was leveled in the 0-1 defeat of the "Red Brigade" on the opponent's field on the evening of February 9. With a lineup consisting of 10 changes compared to the 4-0 victory over Tottenham in the middle of the week, Liverpool B (and even Liverpool C) were defeated by Plymouth.

Before Plymouth wrote their own "mythical" story against Liverpool, there were some shocks that happened, or almost happened, in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Man.City struggled to come back to beat Leyton Orient, a team playing in the English First Division. MU defeated Leicester City with a controversial goal, when VAR was not applied in this round. Not so lucky, Chelsea was eliminated from the tournament by Brighton & Hove Albion. And in the previous round, Arsenal was defeated by MU, who were considered weaker, despite playing with one more player.

The FA Cup is the pride of the English, not only because it is the oldest tournament, but also because it is a very fair playground. Every team has the right to participate and any surprise can happen. Last season, the sixth-tier team Maidstone United caused a surprise when they defeated Ipswich Town (first division) in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Portsmouth, Barnsley, Coventry... are the "dwarfs" who have made a splash by reaching the semi-finals, finals, and even winning the FA Cup. In a football world where the pie for small teams is getting smaller and smaller, the fairy tales in everyday life in the FA Cup are truly worthy of respect.

However, let's look at the downside of the FA Cup. This tournament is the last straw, causing English teams to face a dense schedule. Before the match against Plymouth, Liverpool had played 37 matches in all competitions this season. The "Red Brigade" still has 3 important competitions in front of them: the Premier League (leading), the Champions League (already in the round of 16) and the League Cup (already in the final). Assuming they reach the Champions League final, Liverpool will have to play 23 more matches in the rest of the season (an average of 6 matches/month), a total of 63 matches this season. With a terrible "hard work" density, with almost every week having to play 2 matches, if Slot's Liverpool, Man.City, Chelsea give up on the FA Cup, there is nothing to blame.

THE NIGHTMARE OF THE "RICH"

English football is the world's number one money-making machine, with tournaments that have been upgraded to the level of the sports and entertainment industry. But money comes with pressure. English teams do not have a winter break, and have to play 3 consecutive domestic matches throughout the season (after the League Cup in the first half, the FA Cup in the second half), and the matches are all of very high intensity and speed (a characteristic that makes English matches always popular).

Therefore, not only Liverpool, there are big teams that have to calculate to launch team B or C to reduce the load. Players' physical strength is limited, while tournaments are calculating to increase the number of matches, in order to earn more money from the sweat and tears of the stars. The new format of the Champions League forces teams to stretch to play until the last match (the total number of group stage matches increased from 6 to 8), not to mention many clubs after passing the group stage have to play an additional play-off round to qualify for the round of 16. Or the FIFA World Cup Club will change the format to become a stage to serve the audience throughout the summer, with dozens more matches for the strong teams.

Many coaches and players have spoken out when they are exhausted. However, when football's "milk" can still be squeezed, there will be more tournaments to exploit the value of stars. Big teams need to calculate wisely to go far, not "throw away the bowl and leave the tray". Being seen as a burden will reduce the inherent value of a once prestigious tournament like the FA Cup.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vi-sao-cac-ong-lon-nuoc-anh-kho-so-voi-cup-fa-185250210214419784.htm