Premier League injuries have reached a new high in the 2023/24 season but many will be asking why it has happened. The likes of Crystal Palace, Newcastle and Manchester United have suffered the most and at the time of writing, 196 injuries have been recorded in the Premier League so far this season.
Here at SportsLens, we will take a closer look at the injuries suffered by all 20 clubs and try to determine why there has been a sudden spike in players being ruled out.
Increased Playing Time
New Premier League rules implemented at the start of the 2023/24 season saw an increase of playing time and naturally, players will have a wider window of ‘opportunity’ to fall foul of injuries. Many games this season have seen a large amount of extra-time added owing to the clock being stopped more regularly for substitutions, celebrations, time wasting and injuries.
From a fan’s or neutral perspective, seeing game time extended may appear to be a positive but the extra burden carried by players is detrimental to their health and performance, thus leading to more injuries and therefore, an extended time on the sidelines.
2022 World Cup
Last winter’s World Cup was a brilliant spectacle but the extra strain it put on Premier League players is perhaps beginning to catch up with them one year on. The first half of the 2022/23 season saw more games than what would typically be played by the middle of November, and European competitions were accelerated as well to accommodate for the start of the tournament in Qatar.
Premier League players would have perhaps approached domestic fixtures with a different mindset with the World Cup just around the corner. Playing with a lower intensity to avoid needless injuries so they could feature in Qatar would probably be true for a number of players but with the amount of fixtures played across the last 365 days, it ultimately looks like the amount of game time has caught up with them.
🤕 There have been 196 injuries in the Premier League season.
📈 That's a 15% increase compared with the past four campaigns.
Why are so many players getting injured?
Thread 🧵#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/VPFrf3NeHB
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 20, 2023
Premier League High Intensity
The Premier League is considered by many to be one of the greatest leagues in the world owing to the world class stars who feature, the sheer level of excitement and surprising results displayed on a weekly basis and of course, the high intensity the game is played at in England’s elite division.
Premier League players are fitter than ever and although it can make the game a lot faster and enjoyable to watch, those who star are at a higher risk of injury, particularly with muscle and hamstring problems. Kevin De Bruyne is a prime example of falling victim to muscle and hamstring injuries. The Manchester City star was forced off in the Champions League final in June and he had a reoccurrence of the same injury in the season opener against Burnley in August. The Belgian maestro hasn’t kicked a ball since.
Premier League Festive Period
The busiest and most congested time of the season is just around the corner so it is more than likely more injuries will hamper teams across the Premier League. December provides a huge amount of football and as exciting as it can be for the fans, players will be dreading the festive period more than ever with the catalogue of injuries being suffered already this season.
All in all, there are a variety of reasons as to why players are being injured more regularly this season with the World Cup, increased playing time and the high intensity the game is played at being the main culprits. However, the Christmas period will not stem the amount of injuries but perhaps in the future the Premier League will introduce a winter break, which can go a long way to reducing the amount of injuries throughout the whole season.
2023/24 Premier League Total Injuries
- Arsenal – 9
- Aston Villa – 10
- Bournemouth – 7
- Brentford – 11
- Brighton – 10
- Burnley – 9
- Chelsea – 12
- Crystal Palace – 13
- Everton – 7
- Fulham – 10
- Liverpool – 9
- Luton – 8
- Manchester City – 7
- Manchester United – 14
- Newcastle – 14
- Nottingham Forest – 13
- Sheffield United – 13
- Tottenham – 9
- West Ham – 5
- Wolves – 6
Note: Stats are correct as of November 19th 2023
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