Joe Gomez and the Premier League’s player welfare problem
The time lost to injuries over the first eight weeks of this campaign is greater than over the same period in any recent one. Five subs is not about advantages, but player protection
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Your support makes all the difference.Another day, and another serious injury reported. As Gareth Southgate took to the top table on Wednesday evening, he was clearly pained while describing the agony Liverpool defender Joe Gomez was in after picking up a non-contact knee problem during England training.
Scans to determine the extent of the damage are still required, but the manager conceded “it’s not a good situation” - initial fears are that that is a huge understatement.
A few hours later and another muscle injury was added to the list - Nathan Ake limped off after five minutes for Holland with a hamstring issue.
And on, and on, and on we’ll go. Physios and conditioning experts have long warned that this season would open doors to continuous damage to players with the demands more exacting than ever, while the chance to recover is shorter than it has ever been.
The time lost to injuries over the first eight weeks of this campaign is greater than over the same period in recent history. It is also the highest for total injuries and is some way out in front for significant injuries carrying an absence of nine days or more.
Read more: Joe Gomez injury: What are Liverpool’s centre-back options as defender’s injury fears confirmed?
Yet as Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took aim at entertainment being valued over the wellbeing of footballers this past weekend, while calling for the reintroduction of five subs, the reaction was to paint it as another example of the spoilt overlords wanting more things their way.
The evidence, however, supports their concerns - especially the sharp spike in muscle-related problems.
A shorter pre-season and the most intense, congested schedule - further complicated by players testing positive for coronavirus or needing to isolate due to being in proximity of someone who did - all after an enforced break that was followed by Project Restart was always going to be a damaging cocktail.
More so for the sides, like Manchester United and Manchester City, who went deep into European competition in 2019-20.
“All these factors combine to impact on the rhythm players are in and rhythm is vital from a performance and injury-risk perspective,” explains one of the country’s most experienced physios.
“While I think the five-sub rule would help to a degree, it’s actually a bit of a sticking plaster when the players are being asked to play three internationals in 10 days all over the world, the nature of the congested season and the shorter turnaround between games.”
Given that the fixtures and demands are not going to change, allowing more subs is the only option left to try and ease the strain on players.
Much of the opposition to this - which is the norm in every other major division, as well as the Champions League - is that it would ruin the competition, giving the elite more of an unfair advantage. A look at the La Liga and Serie A table at the moment may suggest otherwise.
While the bigger clubs have the best players and deeper options, the idea that allowing extra changes only benefits them is bewildering given the pain that will be felt by the entire top-flight in December and January.
Affording footballers the chance to recover from a gruelling schedule is not reserved for the elite in the league, it is paramount for all regular starters.
The teams most equipped to navigate the flooded Christmas stretch are the ones so well versed in doing it on account of the experience of juggling domestic and European commitments.
It is the others that typically fade away as the injuries increase and the recovery time they’re used to depreciates. They could do with enhanced flexibility too.
Meanwhile, the argument that Klopp and Guardiola shouldn’t push for five subs because they didn’t use their full complement of three against each other at the Etihad last Sunday ignores the fact that they don’t have just one matchday, but the taxing second half of the season in mind.
Liverpool are already without Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho, Thiago, Trent Alexander-Arnold as well as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and have turned to teenagers (Curtis Jones and Rhys Williams) for starts. Neco Williams, 19, will have to play more as will Nat Phillips, who is relatively inexperienced.
Yes, they have more depth than the majority of teams, but colouring the conversation by insisting they want to bring on five galacticos every week is divorced from reality.
And the unique-to-England view that the wellbeing of footballers should not be on the agenda because there are clubs that are richer than others needs to be binned.
As David Moyes, who was initially against the five-sub push put it: “I am now in full agreement that a player’s welfare is more important.”
Another myth that needs to be debunked is the idea that the top teams, who invest heavily in sports science, should be able to conjure methods to protect squads from an unforgiving schedule.
“Some clubs have dealt with just a two-day turnaround rather than three days a lot more this season,” one leading conditioning expert explains.
“That extra 24 hours for recovery is vital so you don’t accumulate fatigue and small issues are given a chance to settle. You can’t fully recover with just two days no matter what you do.
“The teams not in Europe at the moment are playing a different sport with the amount of time they have to train and recover, but they will be struggling when that is removed in December. It will hurt everyone.
“I know people say sports science is much better now, but you can’t wave a magic wand and create extra days. For recovery to happen you need good food and good rest.”
In the absence of that, keep count of the injuries - although, it may be really hard to keep up with it.
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