Crazy Scheduling?

[Satchmo Distel]

ESPN have been highly critical of this, but I wonder why it wasn't noticed earlier, such as when the schedule was published.

Four quarters spread across four nights. A semi on a Thursday instead of Tuesday. One team gets two more days rest than its opponent, who may have played 30 mins longer and had the stress of pens in a game that finished after midnight, and who may have to travel across a national border between the matches.

All this was knowable well before now.

It's not like UEFA haven't had time to study previous tournament schedules and take into account the logistics of Ukraine's time zone and traveling.

[Duncan Gardner]

Crazy Scheduling?

satchmo76 wrote: ESPN have been highly critical of this, but I wonder why it wasn't noticed earlier, such as when the schedule was published

In some ways it's better than the 2008 schedule. Then, they tried to avoid the problem of uneven gaps between games by allowing teams which had met in the group stage to do so again in the semis, rather than the final. Which potentially increases the likelihod of a team reaching the final by playing the same (relatively) mediocre opponent twice. Wouldn't you prefer the finalists to have played as many different teams as possible?

And of course you still had some teams getting a four day gap, others five. That's unavaoidable, surely?

Four quarters spread across four nights

Same as 2008, and makes sense for TV. Companies and their viewers don't want the knockout games to be outside Western Europe prime time.

A semi on a Thursday instead of Tuesday

Why is this a problem for a one off game (and in any case it's commonplace in the Europa League)?

One team gets two more days rest than its opponent, who may have played 30 mins longer and had the stress of pens in a game that finished after midnight

They both get at least four days rest before every game bar the final. International players are presumably used to 'stress' from club competitions. It's only one hour later than most big European games, and after a fortnight you'd think they've adjusted to the time zone.

and who may have to travel across a national border between the matches

As VIPs they get waved past customs.

All this was knowable well before now.
It's not like UEFA haven't had time to study previous tournament schedules and take into account the logistics of Ukraine's time zone and traveling

Why do you assume that just because some teams and fans don't like it, that no-one considered the alternatives?

[G-Man]

Crazy Scheduling?

ESPN might ask their broadcasting colleagues for answers. But, yeah, it is profoundly unfair.

[Duncan Gardner]

Crazy Scheduling?

G.Man wrote: ESPN might ask their broadcasting colleagues for answers. But, yeah, it is profoundly unfair

To whom? To me it looks at most slightly incoveniencing to the winner of the second semi, having to play Thursday- Sunday. But such a gap, or similar three-day intervals, happens all the time in club football.

I think the tournament over 24 days (bookended by three long weekends, basically) is best all round.

[Duncan Gardner]

Crazy Scheduling?

G.Man wrote: ESPN might ask their broadcasting colleagues for answers. But, yeah, it is profoundly unfair

To whom? To me it looks at most slightly incoveniencing to the winner of the second semi, having to play Thursday- Sunday. But such a gap, or similar three-day intervals, happens all the time in club football.

I think the tournament over 24 days (bookended by three long weekends, basically) is best all round.

[Jimmy Bignutz]

Crazy Scheduling?

A few of the German players are saying it's a bit too long, they'd rather play sooner.

I agree, I'm bored

[NHH]

Crazy Scheduling?

It'd be better if the first semi was in Ukraine rather than Poland, so the team playing a day ahead of time were having to travel on their 'extra' day; this way, the team playing first are already in Ukraine, which seems unfair.

As for the pathways - group position, followed by days to next matches thru to final:

A1 - 4, 6, 4 - average 4.7
A2 - 6, 6, 3 - average 5
B1 - 5, 6, 3 - average 4.7
B2 - 4, 6, 4 - average 4.7
C1 - 5, 4, 4 - average 4.3
C2 - 6, 4, 3 - average 4.3
D1 - 5, 4, 3 - average 4
D2 - 4, 4, 3 - average 3.7

Group winner average - 4.4
Runner-up average - 4.4

Polish groups average - 4.6
Ukrainian groups average - 4.1

Semi-finalists:

Spain - 3rd game in 9 days vs Portugal - 3rd game in 10 days
Germany - 3rd game in 11 days vs Italy - 3rd game in 10 days

Final - 4th game in 13/14 days vs 4th game in 14/13 days

Seems pretty even, apart from the anomaly in general between group A and D; given both were always slated to be hosts, it's slightly odd that the expected position of Poland - if they qualified is the best rest period in general, whilst Ukraine expected qualification route would be the worst.

[Dalef65]

Crazy Scheduling?

satchmo76 wrote: ESPN have been highly critical of this, but I wonder why it wasn't noticed earlier, such as when the schedule was published.

Four quarters spread across four nights. A semi on a Thursday instead of Tuesday. One team gets two more days rest than its opponent, who may have played 30 mins longer and had the stress of pens in a game that finished after midnight, and who may have to travel across a national border between the matches.

All this was knowable well before now.

It's not like UEFA haven't had time to study previous tournament schedules and take into account the logistics of Ukraine's time zone and traveling.

Its hardly "crazy",a tad uneven in places maybe,but calling it crazy is a gross exxageration.
Im genuinely interested to hear what you would have done if UEFA had asked you to organise the thing...
Curious....

[David Agnew]

Crazy Scheduling?

The only way to avoid one semi-finalist having two more days off, and that is to switch the second and third quarter-finals. Only that then gives a potential benefit to the side that finished second in group A, if they reach the semi-finals, as they'd go into their semi having played one game in 11 days (having played the 16th, 23rd, then the 28th), as opposed to the group D runner-up who could have to play three games in nine days (19th, 22nd, 27th).

It's never going to be the same for everyone, but that's why why they have a random draw to decide who goes in which group.

That said, it's good to know that it's not just the UK media complains about aspects of the tournament without either thinking of a better alternative, or even knowing what thinking is behind decisions already made.

[Satchmo Distel]

Crazy Scheduling?

I already said in my OP that previous tournaments did it better. The problem has been caused, as I see it, by not having two games per day, which should guarantee that there would not be more than one day's extra rest for any side.

I think the final group games could have been played over two days instead of four, and so could the quarters. I also think the semis should always be Tues & Wed. Give players four days minimum to recover. Germany were knackered by their Thursday semi in 1982.

[Wouter D]

Crazy Scheduling?

David Agnew wrote: It's never going to be the same for everyone, but that's why why they have a random draw to decide who goes in which group.

This is not being stressed enough in the whole debate. There's a random draw. Some get lucky, and better luck next time for the rest.