Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson says he is “concerned” that “nobody really takes player welfare seriously”.
Including Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Tottenham, the Reds will play five games within two weeks despite Covid-19 cases and injuries.
Premier League clubs chose to fulfil festive fixtures at a meeting on Monday despite a rise in Covid-19 cases.
“I don’t think people can appreciate how intense it is until you actually see it first hand,” said Henderson.
Speaking to BBC Sport, he added: “Football to us is everything and we want to be able to perform at the highest level every time we set foot on the pitch. And unfortunately, in this period it is difficult to do that.
“That has been like this for a few years now and it has been difficult but then, on top of that, you chuck in Covid and it becomes even harder and even worse.
“I am concerned that nobody really takes player welfare seriously.
“I think decisions get made – of course we want to play, as footballers we want to get out there and play – but I am worried about player welfare and I don’t think anybody does take that seriously enough, especially in this period, when Covid is here.
“We will try to have conversations in the background and try to have some sort of influence going forward, but at the minute I don’t feel the players get the respect they deserve in terms of having somebody being able to speak for them independently and having the power to say actually this isn’t right for player welfare.”
On Tuesday, Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders said the schedule was “absurd” while Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said he is having to take “huge risks” with his players’ fitness.
Liverpool were missing a number of key players against Tottenham, with Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Thiago among those absent following positive Covid tests, while midfielder Henderson was out with a cold.
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Premier League players and club staff returned a record 90 positive Covid-19 tests last week, with six out of last weekend’s 10 fixtures postponed.
“We do speak about it as players because, at the end of the day, it affects us directly,” said Henderson, who helped organise an initiative last year for Premier League players to generate funds for the NHS.
“I know people will say we do get paid a lot of money to go out and play football. I get that and understand that, but football is everything to us.
“And especially those players that are playing international games and European games, you get a maximum of probably two or three weeks off a year. I am not sure that is enough to physically recover and mentally recover from the season previous.
“But again, there is no communication with players in terms of what they think, which is a big problem really.
“I am not saying they have to make decisions on what players think, because everybody will have a different opinion, but I think they need to be part of a conversation because, ultimately, we are the ones that are going out and feeling it and playing it.”
Klopp urges those in power to intervene
Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has called for “someone to act” over teams having to play on 26 and 28 December at a time when there has been an increase in Covid cases.
The Reds will be one of 12 top-flight sides playing games on those dates and, while Klopp has criticised the festive fixture schedule in the past, he believes the current situation is “different”.
“Even though I don’t think it is right in normal times, it feels wrong to insist teams play fixtures within two days of each other in this present situation,” said the German in his programme notes for the EFL quarter-final against Leicester City on Wednesday.
“Every squad will have been impacted by the current Covid crisis in some way, clearly some more than others. But we cannot put our hands over our eyes and pretend this is a ‘normal’ situation. It isn’t. It’s extraordinary. And on that basis I implore those with the power to make change to intervene.
“Please do so for the welfare of the players. It’s nothing to do with competition or advantage. To think that in the present climate you would need to be pretty craven.
“Look at the situation. Look at the physical strain on the athletes already. Let’s work collaboratively to find a solution. It is not OK to ask teams to play twice in two days at the moment. It is absolutely not OK, actually. It would be entirely wrong. Someone has to act.”
Player reluctant to get out of car because of symptoms – Gerrard
On the back of Henderson’s concerns, Arsenalmanager Mikel Arteta believes players need to be heard with “open ears”.
“I think we have to listen to them,” said the Spaniard. “There are two protagonists here, one is the players and the other the supporters.
“Without the players we can do nothing so we have to really listen to the players. It is easy for us to be there and demand, but they are the ones that have to perform.
“The same with the fans because this industry wouldn’t work without any of those two.
“I think we have to listen much more to our players. We don’t want to damage the product and the incredible league that we have.”
Aston Villa’smatch against Burnley was postponed on 18 December after the Midlands side had an “increased amount” of positive test results on the morning of the game.
Villa boss Steven Gerrard’s side host Chelsea on 26 December and he said he was unsure of “what position we’re going to be in come the game” because the “Covid picture and the situation here at Villa” was “changing on a daily basis”.
“We had a situation at the weekend where one of the players was reluctant to get out of his car because he had some symptoms. He’s got a young family and you can totally understand his view in his situation,” added Gerrard.
“Thankfully, he was tested after and he didn’t have a situation but that player would not have been available for me on the day and these are the little situations that people don’t see.”
Regarding Henderson’s opinion that player welfare was not being taken seriously, Gerrard said: “I certainly respect that opinion.
“I think there are two sides to this; player welfare from a Covid situation, that I think everyone in general life is trying to deal with, trying to protect themselves and their own families, but also from a football point of view to deal with this situation when you are going into a game on the 26 and 28 December.
“You’re also worried for a player’s welfare from a football point of view. Trying to manage and deal with both situations is a challenge right now but one we’ll try to do in the best way and protect the players in the best way we can.”
