Players Ruled Out for Season After First Game: Who's to Blame?

Paritosh4444

"As long as we live in the real world, we'll always encounter various dilemmas. As a fan, I certainly want to see more matches, but the players, as athletes, undoubtedly hope for more rest. Both sides have their own needs, and it's not the right approach for football associations to add a bunch of matches in a season just to cater to fan preferences. Especially the practice of inserting the World Cup in the middle of a season during the previous season drew a lot of criticism. Maybe due to the heavy workload, in the new season, right after the first game, many players have been ruled out for the season or face long-term injuries, which has made me reconsider whether matches should prioritize quality over quantity.

Last season, the decision to host the World Cup in the middle of the season was met with resistance by many, with people accusing FIFA of not considering players as human beings and prioritizing money. However, despite the criticism, I personally didn't anticipate the risks that would arise after the World Cup. I actually enjoyed watching the matches at the time. But now, in the early stages of the new season, we are witnessing key players from teams like Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, and others being ruled out for the season, or facing several months of injury recovery.

It's the first time I've seen so many players ruled out for the season or facing extended injuries right after the first game of the new season. Perhaps the accumulation of matches over the years has caused these injuries to surface all at once. Today's players are truly exhausted. They play way more matches than before, not even considering international matches. Nowadays, a player plays at least 50 matches a year, roughly one per week. If you subtract the offseason and add in national team matches, players essentially have a match every three days. Under such demanding circumstances, it's a wonder they don't collapse from exhaustion.

Furthermore, the new Premier League season has confirmed that they will use the same extended stoppage time rules as the World Cup. In other words, what used to be an average of 4 minutes of stoppage time in a match will now become the norm of 10 minutes. Considering this addition to the already tight schedule, it means players will have to play at least ten more matches each year. I admit that I was initially pleased when I heard about the Premier League adopting these extended stoppage time rules, but I was hasty in my judgment. I didn't anticipate the drawbacks that would come with this new rule. Even Pep Guardiola, who rarely complains, has criticized the new rule. It's a genuine issue.

I believe that even though players earn more than us, their physical condition needs to be taken into greater consideration. From a fan's perspective, we don't want to see injury-riddled teams playing matches. Regardless of the team, we all want injuries to stay far away from athletes. We want both sides to deliver a high-level match. That's what we, as fans, truly want to see. So, it's essential for matches to prioritize quality over quantity."

Shri

Real Madrid has the highest number of injured players.

Hina599

It seems that for the players, aside from adjusting their mindset, they also need more time to adapt to these changes in the competition format physically.