Manchester City haven’t been immune to the plague of injuries that have hit during the current international break. With the European Championship qualifiers continuing this week and World Cup qualifiers ramping up around the globe there is no break in the football calendar. The toll of so much football has been evident over the past week.
Injuries have hit a multitude of players
So far over the international break, several star players have gone down with injuries. Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior and Barcelona midfielder Gavi have both picked up serious injuries while on international duty. West Ham winger Jarrod Bowen has pulled out of the England squad due to a knee complaint. Tottenham star Son Heung-min limped off with an ankle injury during South Korea’s win over Singapore.
Manchester City haven’t been immune to the mounting injury toll. Erling Haaland picked up a foot injury in Norway’s friendly win over the Faroe Island. Nathan Ake, Ederson, Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes all withdrew from international duty with various issues. Rodri missed Spain’s win over Cyprus after feeling discomfort before the game. They are added to a host of players in world football who have also withdrawn from international duty.
The amount of football being played both at club and international level is no doubt a cause of so many injuries. While injuries are a part and parcel of the game the frequency of injury issues appears to be increasing with the player workload.
Summary
With the UEFA Nations League, a mid-season World Cup, World Cup and European championship qualifiers and more international tournaments added on top of club football a four to six-week break at the end of every season seems insufficient. Rest and recovery periods are becoming smaller by the season while competitions like the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup expand. While players are paid handsomely and the game comes with a multitude of benefits, at some point the players need rest to reset and recover from a long and arduous season.
Pep Guardiola has suggested that the players going on strike may bring the issue to the forefront. While that would be an extreme course of action it may bring attention to the issue.
With more games added to the calendar each season, it is becoming an issue. At some point, a solution must be found before more star players miss games due to their busy schedules. Ultimately if that becomes the case it’s the fans who suffer more than anyone else in the game.
