Injuries

[Backbiter]

Interesting new study of the increase in the number of injuries across Europe this season. It's a fact that we are the worst affected in the Prem:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60837850

"

• The Premier League has seen the highest number of injuries with 659.
• Bayern Munich have had the most injuries in Europe's top five leagues with 60, followed by Chelsea on 55 and Juventus with 54"

So the other Prem teams have had some 600 injuries between 19 clubs, giving an average of just over 30. Our total is almost double the average. The study reckons fatigue is behind the overall increase, and it's no coincidence that we have played more games than any other club. The C*NTS at the FA have a lot to answer for making us play so many games in such a short time while we were stricken with Covid cases. That undoubtedly detailed our title challenge - which was exactly what they were hoping.

Edited March 23, 2022 by Backbiter

[The Don Antonio]

Totally agree. A lot of people were claiming that the injury to chillwell is what derailed our season but actually it was the volume in midfield and attack that causes this. We lost Kante and kova for over a month and had to play jorginho and Loftus cheek in midfield and sometimes Saul or chalobah.

I just pray that we get no new injuries and that James and Christensen return fully fit for the run in. With a fully fit squad I fear absolutely no one

[Sexyfootball]

Wing backs, midfield, and attack have all been decimated at various points in the season.

And yet we remain very difficult to beat ... with an overall season-to-date record of played 49 won 32 drawn 13 and lost only 4 (cup ties that went to a penalty shoot out counted as drawn games).

Hugely impressive in the circumstances ... 

Would love to see the actual data for the PL "big six" ... they say we had 55 injuries, but how many for our PL rivals ?

[Backbiter]

16 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

Wing backs, midfield, and attack have all been decimated at various points in the season.

And yet we remain very difficult to beat ... with an overall season-to-date record of played 49 won 32 drawn 13 and lost only 4 (cup ties that went to a penalty shoot out counted as drawn games).

Hugely impressive in the circumstances ... 

Would love to see the actual data for the PL "big six" ... they say we had 55 injuries, but how many for our PL rivals ?

Well, TAA is injured, but conveniently during the international break, so he hasn't missed a Prem game yet. Salah, Jota and Mane seem freakishly injury-free., as does Robertson.

[Deino]

Somebody at Liverpool must have made a contract with a devil or something because Salah, Mane and Robertson have been performing at high intensity week in week out almost and they're pretty much injury free even with supposed "covid"

Then again, Pool also got extra days off(covid outbreak)  just when their schedule seems packed

[timetowaste]

I don’t care what anyone says, if we’d been treated the same as the other teams during our Covid crisis and if we’d kept injuries to Chilwell and James to a minimum we would have won the league this season

[strider6004]

Maybe yet now we are not behind on the league games and in the final of the FA Cup and Quarterfinal of the Champions League suggest we will be able to compete in these and still fight for our spot in the CL places on top of winning the World Club Championship and UEFA Super Cup.

[Backbiter]

The Mirror has printed the full break down by club:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/premier-league-injuries-cost-clubs-26558856

[wizardous]

That's how it is when you play 3 games in a week. The schedule was extremely tight and it started to affect us when we were in the best period I've seen for years. Being unfairly treated during the covid crisis also didn't help at all. If it wasn't for that, we would probably be top of the league right now.

Hopefully it's a lesson learned for the next season. It won't get any easier simply because there is a World Cup in November and December, and it's certainly going to be a strange season with fixtures coming thick and fast as never before. We've got to find adequate players to strengthen our rotation, especially full backs and midfielders...

[Scott Harris]

It's not just a few injuries more either, it's more injuries by a distance.

The top heads in charge of the likes of the FA, Premier League, UEFA and FIFA don't give a sh*t though, they show that with how they schedule their games and extend the lengths of their tournaments.

You would like to think that with the impact Covid has had, it would force them into changes, but no, they are pushing forward with their extended tournaments and messy fixture scheduling. 

I also feel this hurts the quality of football overall. As the season goes on, the quality starts to slow down and players are mostly grinding. Fatigue and injuries are the main cause of this. I would rather have less games and more quality over what we currently have.

[ozboy]

Think the euros really hurt a bunch of players in terms of not getting rest in off season. 

[Valerie]

12 hours ago, ozboy said:

Think the euros really hurt a bunch of players  supporters in terms of not getting rest in off season. 

I know, right! My rotator cuffs are shot to pieces after consuming all that beer, crisps and icecream