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'I don't know why the season started then!' - England boss Southgate hits out at Premier League

The Three Lions boss has sympathy with managers in England's top flight, with the 2018-19 season starting soon after the end of the World Cup

England boss Gareth Southgate has criticised the decision to start the Premier League season so soon after the end of the World Cup.

The 2018-19 campaign got underway on August 10, only 26 days after France beat Croatia in the World Cup final in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium and 27 after England lost to Belgium in the third-place play-off.

It meant players in England's top flight had a week less to recover than those playing in La Liga and Serie A, and two weeks less than Bundesliga stars.