The experience of a number of professional athletes over the last few weeks has once again put the spotlight back onto the issue of burnout and the unique and extraordinary demands placed on sportspeople over the last year. Current US Open holder Naomi Osaka withdrew from Wimbledon earlier this summer citing her own mental health, while both US Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and England cricketer Ben Stokes have recently stepped away from competing in the immediate future. The experience of the last year has been very tough for most people, but often Premier League footballers are not considered as part of 'everyone else'.But footballers, just like other athletes, have had to live and work in an isolated bubble, training with teammates before appearing on television for entertainment. For the Liverpool players in particular, they had the bittersweet experience of conquering the Premier League, but being unable to share that with the people for whom it meant so much. With Liverpool's Brazilian players only just joining up with the squad for pre-season, it's important to remember the physical and mental pressures to which football players were subject pressures which will continue into the coming campaign.In such short careers, it's easy for footballers to feel like they must give absolutely everything all the time, but that culture should be challenged, to ensure that the welfare and health of footballers is always put first.During the 2020/21 season, the PFA regularly called for five substitutions and greater player protections amidst a buffeting torrent of fixtures in which squads across the Premier League were decimated. Liverpool saw a series of injuries cascade through the squad, with players expected to put their physical health at risk for the sake of meeting broadcasting and calendar obligations.Read MoreRelated ArticlesRead MoreRelated ArticlesIt's part of a longstanding issue about the welfare of players being sidelined. For example, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has repeatedly criticised broadcasters for scheduling early kick offs on Saturdays for teams who play in the Champions League on Wednesday night, for the simple reason that it is dangerous for the players. Given players may return from a match in Europe sometime on a Thursday morning, the group barely has time to recover and prepare for the match on Saturday, leading to injuries. It is not acceptable for people to risk their physical health for the sake of football and television broadcasting deals. In other industries, it would not happen. Nonetheless, after Liverpool somehow made it through the season from hell and miraculously salvaged third spot, both the European and South American players joined their respective countries for the European Championships and Copa América, for even more pressure and matches.Players like Andy Robertson were pushed to the edge of what is physically possible, with the Scotsman playing 63 games over the season.Now, even though the new season is yet to begin, the first international break is scheduled to begin in less than a month, with players set to jet off around the world once more.Read MoreRelated ArticlesRead MoreRelated ArticlesIn January 2022, Liverpool's African players, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Naby Keïta, will all join their countries for the African Cup of Nations, and then will finish off their season with the knowledge that the coming campaign will be condensed and compacted due to the 2022 winter World Cup, held in Qatar.These pressures in themselves are extraordinary, and that's without considering the psychological toll the last year and a half has taken on the players.Being cooped up in bubbles, forced into isolation, unable to see friends and family are experiences shared by everyone, but the challenges of the bubble system and never-ending run of fixtures has been compounded by the lack of fans too. For many players, fans are their source of motivation. The Reds seemed to crumble without the Anfield faithful, falling to six straight league defeats at home for the first time ever. And the absence of fans also amplified the critical voices found online via social media too.Georginio Wijnaldum recently spoke about how he did not feel supported or loved because of those voices on social media, in spite of the sacrifices he was making to play every match he could. It spoke volumes about the lack of understanding around players, and the lack of support they receive too. Supporting the club and its players is not just something that should be done when the players are on the pitch, but also when they are off it.Individuals like Jürgen Klopp and Alisson Becker also lost their parents during the last year and were unable to be with their families, yet they still continued to work for the club and the fans. These tragic and heartbreaking experiences need to be coupled with support, not more pressure. Given the physical and psychological strain the players have to endure, it's important that light is shone on those experiences, so that it can be understood and better managed in future.With more international football to come and the Premier League season showing no signs of letting up, especially with the upcoming World Cup, the footballers are at risk of both physical and mental burnout.For Liverpool fans, it's important to support the players and listen to their concerns, because it's clear the leagues and governing bodies do not. The players and management have provided fans with hope and happiness for many years, it's essential that it is reciprocated the management team and the players at least deserve that.Read MoreRelated ArticlesRead MoreRelated Articles