Players need rest

Last updated : 20 March 2012 By Adam Bryant

Although not linked to the recent collapse of Fabrice Muamba, Dalglish believes it is not good for players to be playing back to back games so often.

"It is a difficult job to work out the schedule of matches because there are that many games to be played," said the Liverpool boss.

"Television has been fantastic financially for clubs - no one would be in the position they are in without television - but I think the most important consideration should be players and how quickly they can turn themselves round.

"Sometimes it is unfair on them for them to be expected to turn around as quickly as the fixtures come up," he added. "I think someone should be looking at that, whether it is the Premier League or the Football Association or television.

"For me, the people who should be looking at it closest of all is the PFA. It is their players who produce the fantastic fare which is the Premier League and they cannot do it when games come with such a short interval in between them.

"Players always say playing is better than training but rest is part of training as well. If they are not getting the proper rest, either because someone is demanding they play quite quickly back-to-back or they are not preparing themselves properly off the pitch, then it is going to make it more difficult for them."