“Players can’t handle this overload any longer.”
Erik ten Hag said some pretty ominous remarks as the Manchester United manager struggled with an expanding injury list.
The Dutchman was speaking on the same day that his defender Lisandro Martinez received a season-long injury ban, extending the Red Devils’ injured absence total to eight.
But barely six weeks into the new season, Ten Hag is not the only Premier League manager dealing with a big injury list.
PremierInjuries.com reports that a total of 112 players are now injured for England’s 20 top-flight teams.
Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, believes that players should band together to attempt to change the calendar.
The topic has also been discussed by the managers of Newcastle, Mauricio Pochettino of Chelsea, Mikel Arteta of Arsenal, and Burnley’s Vincent Kompany believes he may have an answer.
Premier League injury leader Chelsea
With players like Christopher Nkunku and Wesley Fofana out with major knee ailments, Romeo Lavia out with an ankle issue, and fullbacks Reece James and Ben Chilwell dealing with hamstring and thigh issues, respectively, Chelsea presently top the injury list. Malo Gusto and Nicolas Jackson’s bans severely hurt their cause.
Nine players are unavailable for Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, and Newcastle, including players like Harvey Barnes, Michael Olise, and George Baldock.
With Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice suffering injuries in the north London derby, William Saliba and Fabio Vieira suffering setbacks, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard missing the 2-2 draw with Spurs, and Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey out with long-term injuries, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is worried about the fitness of up to eight first-team players.
Champions In their Premier League debut, Manchester City lost playmaker Kevin de Bruyne, and 10 days ago, Pep Guardiola declared the club to be “in trouble” due to a growing injury list.
The only player missing for Wolves is Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, who is suspended, while West Ham’s only injured absence is Aaron Cresswell.
Injury report for the Premier League
ChelseaSheffield United 10Crystal Palace (9).Newcastle United (9).9 Manchester United 8 Arsenal 8 SpursEight Brentford, six Burnley, six Bournemouth, six Luton, six Aston Villa, four Everton, four Fulham, and four Liverpool.Manchester City (4)Number 3 Nottingham Forest2 West Ham vs. 1 Wolves0
Premierinjuries.com, excluding suspensions and other disciplinary matters
‘Players are under too much pressure,’
Ten Hag claims that he purposefully increased his team’s size over the summer by adding seven players to try and reduce the risk of injuries, but the recent absences of Jadon Sancho and Antony due to non-injuries have made things worse.
“We had a World Cup in the middle of the season, which made it longer for us to play because we also had FA Cup and Nations League games to play. A briefer respite,” the Dutchman remarked.
“Every time the calendar gets busier, the players are overloaded to an extreme degree. That has been mentioned by several of my coworkers, and it has been mentioned by myself as well. However, it goes on. The timetable is always growing.
“Players can’t handle the overload any longer, and I think that’s what you see in this squad right now,” the coach said.
On July 6, Manchester United resumed preseason workouts before, like many other teams, departing for friendlies in the United States, Ireland, Norway, and Scotland before their Premier League debut against Wolves on August 14.
The 2022–23 Premier League season, which ran from August 5 to May 28, was longer than usual to account for a six-week hiatus for the World Cup in Qatar in November and December.
Due to this, the Nations League matches continued until June 18 while the FA Cup final and European finals occurred in early June. Premier League teams resumed preseason play less than a month later to get ready for the 2023–24 season.
There were only 58 days between the conclusion of one season and the beginning of the next for Manchester City, who made it to the Champions League final and took part in the Community Shield.
‘Dangerous’ level of scheduling
The Brentford stadium’s huge screen displaying the nine minutes of stoppage time
Premier League games now frequently go above 100 minutes due to new rules regarding stoppage time.
Some players have also criticized new guidelines regarding stoppage time that were implemented at the beginning of the season for increasing their workload.
Matches frequently take longer than 100 minutes as a result of referees being required to more precisely represent stoppages in play when determining how much stoppage time to add on at the end of each half.
The adjustments “did not make any sense,” according to De Bruyne, who also criticized the new rule. Raphael Varane, a defender for Manchester United, claimed the timetable is already at a “dangerous level for players’ physical and mental wellbeing.”
Is the solution an appearance cap?
Harvey Barnes waiting for treatment on the ground
Harvey Barnes, a winger for Newcastle, is sidelined for three months due to a foot issue.
Burnley manager Kompany has suggested a 60–65 appearance cap as a potential remedy to assist safeguard player welfare and help minimize burnout.
Chelsea manager Pochettino was unsure whether Kompany’s plan would succeed when asked about it at a news conference on Friday.
He claimed that it was challenging to analyze and discuss everything because each circumstance required an evaluation.
Some athletes may find it difficult to handle playing in 70 games during a season, whereas another athlete may be able to handle it. Talking generally is challenging since no one wants to set a limit because even players want to play every game.
“It’s simple when the name isn’t a top player, but how do you say no when they say they want to play?”
According to Guardiola, it is the responsibility of the players to band together and exert pressure on the international regulatory bodies Fifa and Uefa to lessen the strain on the players’ bodies.
There is only one way to modify something: the players must independently decide to stop and declare that a change is necessary. Fifa and Uefa might then respond a little, according to Guardiola.
“The show must go on in this business. Pep without? Carry on. The show won’t continue without the players, though; that much is certain. As a result, it is up to them to determine whether to accept.
I don’t want to influence anyone because I won’t be able to do so. I believe the players are to blame. The only people who can make changes are the players themselves, if they want to.
“The load on those players that play every competition and international football goes up, and that’s where we’ve got to be smart sometimes by trying to give them a rest at the appropriate time,” added Howe, whose Newcastle team is playing in Europe for the first time since 2013.
“However, that’s incredibly challenging when they’re your best players and there’s a lot of pressure on you to produce results time and time again. I’d have to give that some thought.
Arteta, the manager of the Gunners, continued, “Some of them happen in training and some of them are knocks. Some very little niggles, but also, the workload increased dramatically before, during, and after the national team, and it is still highly demanding.
