"Not all of them are really important" - Real Madrid star echoes Virgil van Dijk's call for reduced number of matches 

Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni echoed Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk's sentiment that players need to have fewer fixtures.

In modern football, players often need to play in a huge number of games in a season, which can cause injuries and burnout. Van Dijk recently pointed out the fact, especially about how difficult it is for players in the English top flight.

The Liverpool defender elaborated (via Liverpool World):

“In England, we believe the schedules are too busy. The players are getting paid well, but it should never come at the cost of our health. We keep having to play more and more games. We, as players, should start saying something about it, contribute to a solution.”

Tchouameni agrees with Virgil van Dijk. The Real Madrid midfielder said that it's difficult for a player to continue performing well into their late 30s if they keep playing a high volume of games every season. The Frenchman told NOS:

"As players, we have to do something about the schedule. It's really difficult for your body to finish the season with 70-80 games. If we want to play until age 38/39, it would be difficult for our body. We have many different competitions, and not all of them are really important."

It's worth noting that top managers like Pep Guardiola of Manchester City and Manchester United's Erik ten Hag have also expressed displeasure at the number of games their teams have to play each season.

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How many games did Virgil van Dijk and Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni play in club football last season?

Aurelien Tchouameni played 50 games across competitions for Real Madrid last season, securing four assists.

Tchouameni made 33 appearances in La Liga, 10 in the UEFA Champions League, four in the Copa del Rey, two in the FIFA Club World Cup, and one in the UEFA Super Cup.

This season, the 23-year-old has made 11 appearances across competitions, nine in La Liga and two in the UEFA Champions League, scoring once, his first goal for Los Blancos.

Virgil van Dijk, meanwhile, made 41 appearances across competitions for Liverpool last season, 32 in the Premier League, eight in the UEFA Champions League and one in the FA Community Shield. He scored thrice and assisted once - all in the Premier League

The Dutchman, though, missed seven games due to a hamstring injury. This season, Van Dijk has made seven appearances: six in the Premier League and one in the UEFA Europa League.