Injuries. They are the bane of every manager’s life, and every supporter too. Never sought after, but always inevitable. Part and parcel of professional sport, now so more than ever, with games more numerous and more intense than ever before, they should be expected. That doesn’t make them any less frustrating, though, especially when they plague certain players of high importance.
We Manchester City fans know that feeling all too well. Not only do injuries seemingly haunt our leading lights, Sergio Agüero and Vincent Kompany in particular, it always seems to be the same type of injury that curse them.
Now, of course, City are not the only side to have notoriously bad luck with injuries; fans of every side will put forward a compelling argument as to why they are the unluckiest of the lot. What is concerning from a Manchester City point of view, though, is the frequency of which an injury is muscle related.
According to data compiled by PhysioRoom.com, since Manuel Pellegrini was confirmed in his role as Manchester City manager, the Citizens have had 169 injuries in total before Saturday’s victory over Southampton. Below are two charts I have produced to visually display the players most affected by injury under Pellegrini and the type of injuries sustained, using the PhysioRoom.com stats.
It must be noted that the ‘area of body affected’ axis is somewhat generalised, and the official prognosis of each injury may differ slightly in reality. However, it still paints a pretty convincing picture. What these charts start to demonstrate is the frequency of injuries to key players and that the majority of injuries sustained of muscle related.
Injuries to star players is pretty unsurprising. These are the players that makes things tick. They cause opposing managers and players restless nights as they try to find ways to combat them. These are the players that are at the centre of everything any side does. Hence, they get targeted more and are on the receiving end of some rough, occasionally barbaric treatment. This in itself is not a ground breaking discovery.
How these players, and others, get injured is arguably more distressing for Manchester City. Of the 169 injuries listed since Pellegrini took the reins at the club, 36 were hamstring related, and a further 45 were associated with other muscles around the body (Calf, Thigh, Undefined Muscular, Groin categories). That’s a whopping 47.92% of all injuries sustained that had some association with a muscle. A frightening amount.
Trying to identify a cause for this is likely to be purely speculative. A whole manner of reasons could be given. It does, however, raise some pertinent questions. Is enough care and attention given to warming up the body on a match day? This sounds so simple, but is something that can be easily neglected. Are the club making endeavours to find a solution for this problem? Is enough research being carried out on differing training techniques, diets etc. I am sure that the club don’t take this topic lightly, but it is worrying as a supporter.
Some injuries are just unfortunate, much like David Silva’s ankle sprain on International Duty. No amount of research or preparation can legislate for a poor, mistimed tackle. What must be rectified is the constant stream of muscular injuries that are obliterating this team. Consistency is key for any side with desires of challenging for honours. Consistency is something City haven’t really had since mid-September, especially at the back.
All things considered, the Blues have battled against this adversity pretty well. A couple of heavy defeats aside, performances and results have been solid. City are back on top spot in the Premier League, and secured a path through to the last 16 in the Champions League with two games to spare. The club have also safely secured passage to the Semi-finals of the Capital One Cup with a 4-1 win against Hull.Things are ticking over pleasingly.
It is perhaps understandable that the heights of the first five games haven’t been hit since. With crucial links returning to fitness, and others just a short stint away, it may not be too long before we see City in full flow again. However, whilst getting players back to full fitness is one challenge, keeping them fit, is another one entirely. Something that should be the highest of priorities for Pellegrini and his backroom team.
This squad has the ability to dominate the majority of opponents it will face, we have seen small samples of that. What it really needs is a prolonged period where as many players as possible are available. Especially the likes of Silva, Kompany and Agüero. Then this team would really be able to start showing what it can do.
That would be nice, wouldn’t it?
