Is it our methods?

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

Can we really pin our injury problems on bad luck?

Apparently we do double training sessions. Do we have to on one hand say that these fitness levels took us up last year, probably the reason so many other teams crumbled in the last 10 against us when we still had legs and they didn't. 

But have to also accept that this comes at a price and comes with risk?

Could what got us promoted essentially get us relegated when we try to apply it at a different level? 

I just think this could be the elephant in the room.

 

[Surfer 1,547]

I could accept an argument that as we are now coming up against bigger and stronger athletes, our stamina advantage works less well than it did last year, however what is the alternative? If we lose our physical fitness will we not just be battered worse?

Edited September 28, 2019 by Surfer

[Branston Pickle 3,657]

Tbh most of the key injuries are match/contact related - Trybull, Klose, Zim and Aarons for sure - and nothing to do with training.  Onel was weird bad luck, A’s was Krul (back spasms can happen anytime).  The others are a mixture but you’ll always get a few odd strains and suchlike in training 

Edited September 27, 2019 by Branston Pickle

[My spoon is too big! 21]

I think we just got very lucky with injuries last year, and with players who could fill in so we didn't feel the loss of players quite so much.

Once we got on our good run in the Championship, it felt like it didn't matter if someone like Leitner was injured, we'd get some kind of result, but now we look at the superstar players and think "well, I'd rather have Klose marking Salah" or "Onel would be a better option to get past Azpilicueta".

It's mostly a matter of perception. I do hope we're back to full strength soon, though.

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,820]

It's risk and reward. The higher the intensity of training, the fitter and more prepared a player will be, but at the same they'll also be more at risk from injury. Personally, I'm happy enough with the current situation where we may risk injuries but the players on the pitch have a physical edge on their opponents. After all, it worked last season.

One other thing worth noting is that injuries in football are on the rise and have been increasing steadily over a period of time. Who knows how bad the situation will have to be before football clubs attempt to address the trend.

This is an interesting article on the subject: https://barcainnovationhub.com/challenges-in-sports-medicine-due-to-the-rise-of-injuries-in-football/

[Nuff Said 5,140]

1 hour ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

This is an interesting article on the subject: https://barcainnovationhub.com/challenges-in-sports-medicine-due-to-the-rise-of-injuries-in-football/

Is it though? Putting to one side the questionable language in the piece, which is forgivable as it’s probably originated from someone who doesn’t have English as their first language, why would Barcelona go public on these sorts of areas? Surely they’d want to keep any original research to themselves to gain an advantage from it? In a competitive market, sharing ground-breaking  knowledge doesn’t make sense. 

1 hour ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

It's risk and reward.

Absolutely. We gained an edge with our approach last season and experienced injuries too, but overall it worked. So we use the same methods again, I can’t argue with that.

[Van wink 2,994]

We,ve been bloomin unlucky, Onel and Zimbo both picking up "recreational" injuries

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,820]

1 hour ago, Nuff Said said:

Is it though? Putting to one side the questionable language in the piece, which is forgivable as it’s probably originated from someone who doesn’t have English as their first language, why would Barcelona go public on these sorts of areas? Surely they’d want to keep any original research to themselves to gain an advantage from it? In a competitive market, sharing ground-breaking  knowledge doesn’t make sense. 

Regardless of where the article is published, it's still an interesting read. And there is no sensitive or original research in the article, as the references are all listed at the bottom.

[Ian 1,129]

If the majority of our injuries were wear-and-tear related I might agree, but most of them are either impact or freak injuries. Just one of those things.

[andyc24_uk 59]

Clearly, we've gained an advantage through our focus on fitness and training, and long may that continue... I do think though that it must be having at least some impact on the likelihood of us getting injuries - a risk worth taking but does suggest we need more options and a slightly larger squad if we stay up next season.  High-intensity training / few injury worries / Small squad - I suspect you can have any two and be successful but not all three...

[Capt. Pants 4,234]

Evidence suggests we cannot deal with the physicality of the games or the training. It will get better as we get stronger but for now we have to battle through.

Premier League players seem to be bigger, faster, stronger than ever before and seem to relish the 'contact' element. A lot of us on here thought it wouldn't be as physical as the Championship and our players would have more time and space. It's totally the opposite!