Angry stars are preparing to confront Premier League bosses over their concerns about player welfare.
Premier League chiefs are holding two virtual meetings on Thursday with captains and Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) reps and the managers from all 20 top flight clubs.
There is genuine frustration and anger in dressing rooms that players have not been listened to over the recent surge of Covid cases which is causing a huge knock-on effect on the fixture list.
They believe players are risking injury and well being because they are asked to play games in quick succession over the festive period but also amid the growing Omicron crisis.
That has led to postponements, players being rushed back from injury before they are match fit and also the knock-on effect around the virus and their fears for families and loved ones.
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Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has already spoken out publicly and said he is “concerned” that "nobody really takes player welfare seriously.”
That will be echoed by other captains as they formed a powerful collective voice over the past two years during the pandemic.
Henderson, together with the likes of Manchester United captain Harry Maguire, Wolves skipper Conor Coady and Tottenham ’s PFA representative Ben Davies gained huge respect for speaking out.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has also insisted there are too many games over Christmas which pushes players to the limit and has spoken out on the need for players to be vaccinated.
Henderson, in an interview with the BBC, said: “I don't think people can appreciate how intense it is until you actually see it first hand.
"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.”
Brighton boss Graham Potter backed Henderson’s view and said: “You can understand those comments. There's a balance between playing matches and money and we don't always get it right. I can see where Jordan's coming from.
"In an ideal world we probably haven't got the balance right. But we're not in an ideal world at the moment."
The Premier League shareholders met on Monday and agreed to play on despite the raft of postponements last weekend - only four of the ten games went ahead - because of the Covid outbreak at various clubs.
Individual clubs wanted a circuit breaker over Christmas but that was never a genuine possibility and they did not even vote on the idea, instead the message that teams would have to play if they can field 14 fit players.
The anger from the players and managers is directed at the Premier League rather than their own clubs for wanting to play on because ultimately the majority feel it is the Prem bosses who take decisions on the fixtures and Covid postponements.
But the Premier League will stress that they are ready to listen which is why they are meeting the players and club bosses and want to hear suggestions about how things can be improved both in the short term crisis and long term.
One key factor has been the vaccination of players - Premier League figures revealed this week that 16 per cent of players have yet to have a jab - and the impact that is having on fixtures.
The Premier League have already brought in new emergency measures - such as daily lateral flow tests and twice-weekly PCR tests - but are also looking at further guidelines, particularly to combat the issues surrounding unvaccinated players.
Players who have not had a jab may be told to travel and even eat separately from team mates while some clubs are already taking matters into their own hands by not allowing them to mix inside and make their own way home from long away trips.
It has a further knock-on effect in that unvaccinated players will have to self isolate even if they are not positive which is believed to have led to at least one game being called off rather than actual cases.
