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We've reached that juncture in the football season that tends to stump those of us who write or sub-edit pieces about it. It's a time of the year when the question “Is it still this season or last season?” is aired more than once on a sports desk.

One newspaper I used to work for decreed that the Champions League final was the termination point in the campaign – a fairly logical suggestion you would venture and yet here we are on June 13, reading previews to international matches that will carry over until next Tuesday, the 20th of the month. Do the players who will feature in those matches believe the games they have on the horizon are part of this season, last season or next season?

Certainly, those who will be gearing up for Champions League preliminary round matches could be forgiven for a degree of discombobulation since the first of those ties is due to begin two Tuesdays from now on June 27.

Last week, FIFPRO released a report outlining that almost half of the players who featured at last year's World Cup experienced extreme or increased mental fatigue.

The players' union also pointed out that proposed changes to the Champions League and the Club World Cup formats could lead to some players facing an 11 per cent increase in matches from the 2024-25 season onwards.

A FIFPRO statement read: "The reforms of the two major tournaments will ultimately increase the number of games played by top players who could conceivably feature in both. This poses a threat to the wellbeing of players who are already pushed to their limit with the current international match calendar."

The Herald:

The Manchester United defender Raphael Varane was one of those included in a case study. The France defender retired from international football in February at the age of 29 citing his increased workload arguing that it will inevitably truncate players' careers.

Speaking from anecdotal experience this is also something that has become an increasing worry at the grassroots level of football, where clubs continue to play on well in advance of the season's end thus risking burnout later on in the season.

There is another dimension to this, of course, and it is not just the physical aspect. There is the emotional and mental element to be considered, too. Consider this: have you ever felt that there is too much football on television? During the football season it is possible to watch a live game every single day of the week. The logical extension of this is that inevitably boredom sets in. The novelty factor of watching games has disappeared, our relationship to the match itself – replete with phone in hand as we either take snapshots of ourselves or the game and/or find out what others are saying on social media –has made it an incidental experience, and especially so on television.

Drawing the conclusion that attention spans are not what they once were and apathy with the game quickly follows: what does it say about how footballers feel when the season shows no signs of ending and they are continuously rolled out like performing seals? 

Exhausted, no doubt.