The soccer ball doesn’t stop rolling England during the end of the year festivities and is especially present every December 26 with the emblematic “Boxing Day”‘, which this year will serve to begin the 19th day of the Premier League.
Play the day after Christmas It is a tradition in the English championship and for many it is a symbol of an overloaded calendar.
“We are going to play our third game in nine days. That demands a lot from you, both mentally and physically”assessed the Dutch defender Virgil Van Dijkof the Liverpool.
His team takes to the field on Tuesday at the Burnley (19th) and there is a lot of play these days because of how exciting the top part of the classification is. He is just one point behind the leader Arsenalwith whom they tied 1-1 on Saturday in the 18th matchday.
Also in the ‘Boxing Day‘plays another contender for the leadership, the Aston Villa (3rd), who visits the Manchester United and that has the same points as the Liverpool. Arsenal will not play until Thursday, at home against West Ham.
All English teams face the overload of matches as best they can, between player rotations and also managing the psychological aspect.
After losing 2-0 on Saturday at the West Hamthe coach of Manchester United, Erik Ten Hagdivided his post-match press conference into two: first five minutes to comment on the defeat and then another ten to talk about Tuesday’s game against Aston Villa. A scene as curious as it is surreal, just a few minutes after the final whistle.
The devilish pace of matches means that the competition barely leaves time for training. Before the duel against Arsenalhe Liverpool He had only been able to train 135 minutes adding up his practices from the previous ten days.
Between Premier League, Europa League and League Cuphe Liverpool will play eight games in December, before starting 2024 the same January 1 against the Newcastle on the 20th day of the Premier League.
From December 5th and until West Ham and Brighton face each other on January 2, they will have played 58 games in 29 days.
After that, the Premier League will stop for two weeks, but that ‘truce’ will be occupied by the third round of the England Cup and the first leg of the semifinals of the English League Cupso there will be no real break.
The peculiarity of the British December and January calendar, despite criticism, also has fervent defenders.
“It’s the most special time of the year for me. You test yourself physically and mentally. You never see so many happy faces in a stadium as you do right now, people are usually in a good mood.”says the Belgian Vincent Kompanyformer defender of Manchester City and current coach of Burnley.
What is the origin of “Boxing Day”?
He Boxing Day is celebrated every December 26. An event that is more than a century old and that seeks to promote donations to people who have less.
Although its origin is not completely confirmed, theories point to the day off that was given to employees in the XIX century after working in Christmasand called Christmas boxes that could accompany it, charitable donations distributed by the church in commemoration of the St. Stephen’s Day and the collection and subsequent distribution of a well for all workers, among others.
As far as football is concerned, the day coincides with the first match played in the history of this sport, a December 26, 1860when Sheffield F.C. and Hallam FC They met at the Sandygate Road stadium.
This is how the 19th day of the Premier League is played
– Tuesday (“Boxing Day”):
(12h30 GMT) Newcastle – Nottingham Forest
(15h00 GMT) Bournemouth – Fulham
Sheffield United – Luton Town
(17h30 GMT) Burnley – Liverpool
(20h00 GMT) Manchester United – Aston Villa
– Wednesday:
(19h30 GMT) Brentford – Wolverhampton
Chelsea – Crystal Palace
(20h15 GMT) Everton – Manchester City
– Thursday:
(19h30 GMT) Brighton – Tottenham
(20h15 GMT) Arsenal – West Ham
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
