Chelsea manager, Frank Lampard, has kicked against the idea of increasing the number of Champions League group matches, as he fears it could lead to player burnout, according to UK Mirror.
European Club Association (ECA) Chairman, Andrea Agnelli, has proposed a restructuring of the competition’s format, to prevent it becoming predictable.
Plans to include up to 96 teams and bring in a promotion and relegation system were shelved last month, but discussions are still ongoing, as to how to revamp the Champions League from 2024/2025 onward.
“At the minute, I think the level is about right,” Lampard said at an event organised by the umbrella organisation of European Leagues.
“The competition is good. I like the format personally.
“If you ask me can we play more European games, I personally don’t know where you’d fit them in amongst our busy schedule.
“I always find it hard with the players to keep the quality level and the freshness within the team, so I think if we did do that there would be a lot of discussion about how that worked practically.
“As a manager, I actually feel the weight of games more than I did as a player, even though I was running around as a player.
“You’re thinking about how can you keep the team fresh, and it’s a challenge with all the competitions we have now.”
