Aston Villa Boss Calls For Winter Break

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UEFA CUP: Martin O'Neill, Aston Villa - MSK Zilina (PA)

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Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill has urged the Premier League to consider implementing a winter break in order to prevent players suffering from burnout.

O’Neill has experience of a mid-season break whilst in charge of Celtic and admitted he was a big fan.

Speaking to The Guardian, he said: “We only had it for two years but the mid-term break was very beneficial and I would be a great advocate of it here, even if it ended up missing only one particular weekend.”

The Villa boss also insisted that most managers would be happy to see a plan introduced and that it would benefit players as well.

“I'm quite sure that among managers, if they had any say, there would be decent support for it. I couldn't see very many people objecting,” he said before adding, “I believe it would give everyone a lift in January. For myself it would be nice to get a chance but really it's for players who are at it all the time.”

O’Neill also claimed that with the current demands of international football, a break was essential for players to avoid suffering burnout. He explained: “Remember some of our players will be involved in the Under-21 so that's all summer taken up and apparently they're going to start next season earlier because Fabio Capello needs longer before the World Cup. Eventually international players just do not get a chance [for a break] and they're burnt out.”

Villa are enjoying a successful season and, having qualified for the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup, may now find the fixtures piling up next year.

The Midlands club finished third in their group and have been drawn against CSKA Moscow, a tie O’Neill admitted he was dreading.

“I think it will be exceptionally difficult,” he confessed before adding, “They won all four games in their group, they're flying and I think it's a plastic pitch. I'm sure there were probably easier ties.”

Yet should Villa oust CSKA from the tournament, they could face the intriguing scenario of a quarter final tie with Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Gill Clark, Goal.com