Player injuries are always a worry for any team in football, it's a fact. However as of late, it has been a frequent occurrence that has only got managers and fans worrying. We are seeing players pretty much every week, limping off the pitch, including top players being injured in training too! It has been said that this matter will only get worse as the next few months will see teams cramming all their energy in 3/4 games a week! You can watch these Premier League matches here by streaming them.

Top players like Virgil van Djjk have been off the pitch, due to his pitch collision with Jordan Pickford which needed surgery and urgent attention and medical care. Severity such as this, will of course mean immediate removal from training is a necessity, as some issues will only be irritated further without the proper care and rest. This will also only cause further issues to the standard of play that Virgil can provide in the future. It is always better to be safe than sorry in the football business after all.

Why so many injuries then?

However, there is a bigger reason as to why players are becoming injured much more frequently recently and that is due to the pandemic. It has caused players' schedules to work in overdrive; as we all know that, too much physical activity and training, makes injuries that much more susceptible.

The fixture schedules have been crammed together due to delays to the usual traditional calendars. This means that players will be making up for lost time and doing three months’ worth of physical activity and training in a short span of time. This overexertion has made cramps and strains a huge problem; usually this is an indicator to stop of course. Yet with so many players on a team, at once suffering the same problem you cannot put a majority of top performing players on the bench, can you?

The Champions League and Europa League ahead, alongside their own domestic cup games mean everything really is occurring at once, which not only is pushing the human body to a physical extreme, mental health will most likely be in effect too. Especially if we consider how fans are no longer in the stadiums, giving players the boost of morale they actually need. It is all quite a bit of a mess, really.

The worst thing about this all is, managers just receive these updates of change to schedules in little time, with not much notice. Meaning they are just as overworked as players and have no choice but to press forward as aggressive as needed, to attain the results needed. It has become like a horror movie to managers, to see their best performers be taken out by injuries that could have been prevented, with the right rests and gaps between seasons, as they would usually get in the football calendar.

Liverpool is a team that has been really affected by the changes, with Gomez being hit with an injury from his training bursts with England, meaning he will be out of play and training for a total of up to seven months. Also, Alexander-Arnold being put on the side-lines too, due to his calf injury attained in a match against Manchester City, will not fare well as a team dynamic. However, what is there to do, other than hope for the best and hope that next year, may bring a more relaxed and less stressed football schedule? Here is us praying and hoping.