Tah on new Champions League format: "It has to be curtailed at some point."
Echoing the stance taken by the likes of Man City midfielder Rodri and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, Jonathan Tah has agreed that the new Champions' League format adversely affect the workload management of Europe's top footballers. Asked how he felt about such statements, and the denunciation of the high workload by players' union Fifpro, Tah offered up his opinions at a Monday pre-match press conference.
"I can agree with that," Tah said, "I do enjoy matches more than training, but it has to be curtailed at point. We have to look at how much longer we can keep up our level with so many games. If so many games are added, there will also be more and more injuries. It is an issue that we cannot afford to ignore.”
"I nevertheless, I love being on the pitch and playing," Tah was then sure to add, "If I said I preferred training to matches, I'd be lying."
Last season, Tah was already one of the most frequent players in Leverkusen, making 48 competitive appearances. Only Granit Xhaka and Alejandro played more minutes. At the European Championship on home soil, he was in the starting lineup in four of Germany's five matches.
In the current season, he has yet to miss a single competitive game – neither for Leverkusen nor for the German national team.