Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has launched a furious attack on the
timing of England's friendly against Hungary and criticised his own
club's "crazy" scheduling of "too many" pre-season matches.
• Redknapp wants experienced duo
The Three Lions face their first post-World Cup outing on August
11 at Wembley, just three days before the start of the Premier
League season, when Spurs take on Manchester City.
Redknapp was quoted in the Daily Mail as saying: "Can
someone tell me why you have an international week the week the
season is starting? Can someone tell me what that is all about?
They've just been away as a group together to the World Cup.
They're probably sick of the sight of each other and now they're
going to have an international week before the first week of the
season, before we play Manchester City and a European
qualifier.''
Redknapp also had harsh words for those in charge of his own
club, who put in place a pre-season schedule which included a tour
of the United States and three tough home friendlies against
Villarreal, Benfica and Fiorentina.
"We play Fiorentina on the Saturday (August 7), which is a
nuisance, then they go off and play for their countries,'' said
Redknapp. "I won't see them from Saturday night until Friday before
we play Man City, not once. Why? What's the point of it? A
meaningless friendly. The week before the season, when we should be
training, working, getting organised for the first game, they won't
be here. How can that be a way to prepare for the start of the
season? Then you've got your fingers crossed that not too many come
back injured.''
Redknapp believes Spurs have not helped their chances of getting
into the Champions League group stages by scheduling such a tough
pre-season.
"It's been busy schlepping around the place,'' he said. "We've
just come back from a gruelling trip around America. It's crazy.
And we pile more games in. The last thing we need is to be playing
games. We need to train. I need to get the players on the training
pitch because all we do is play and recover. We should be working
in training. Too many games have been scheduled. I don't know whose
fault that is. We play too many games.''
However, the Football Association have claimed England would be
at a major disadvantage at the start of their Euro 2012 qualifying
campaign if they had not arranged a friendly for the middle of next
month.
''England are by no means unique in playing a friendly match on
11 August, since it is an international date scheduled by FIFA,
with almost every other nation playing on the same night,'' said an
FA spokesman.
''With a qualification campaign for Euro 2012 beginning just
three weeks later, it is an important friendly opportunity to
prepare for the competitive games with Bulgaria and
Switzerland.
''Not making use of this date provided by FIFA in the calendar
would put us at a disadvantage over those countries we face in
September.''