12 Apr 2024 13:20:31
Hi eds, hopefully one of you could answer. I know the majority of fans are fed up and don't understand the injuries that have happened, is it bad luck, mentality, bad coaching or something else, it's so frustrating, most of the season we've had our first choice back 4 out and nkunku and lavia.
Surely this will be addressed and fixed asap
Hope you all have a great weekend.
{Ed001's Note - it is always a mix of things, some will be bad luck, some will be down to poor work ethic in training, some will be down to the training not getting them fit enough. Others will be the wrong type of training for them, as we are all slightly different and need a different training to get us fit. It can be diet as well, though players get looked after while at the club, when they go home they can often be eating completely the wrong things. Or they might not get the rest they need. Even things like sitting too long playing video games can cause injuries. The reason some of those bizarre injuries happened in the past where players ruptured things stretching for a TV remote etc is often because they were slobbing out on the sofa and their muscles were tightened. Which is another potential issue - do they do enough stretching? There is just so many potential issues that you really need to examine them one by one to find the problem.
One thing that usually holds true is that a large number of soft tissue injuries (hamstring pulls etc) is almost always caused by a lack of fitness. That usually means the training is not tough enough. In my experience, overtraining has never ever been an issue, it is always undertraining. The only people who claim overtraining is a problem are always those trying to sell their services as fitness trainers and their systems are always nonsense and to be avoided. The human body can do so much more than it is pushed to do at a football club. Just look at what triathletes etc put themselves through compared to a footballer. Or ultramarathon runners etc. The issue is not the actual training, it is more down to the travel, which affects rest and makes the traveller have to sit still for long periods.}
12 Apr 2024 14:29:52
Ed, interesting point re travel and rest. I have a pal who works in an industry adjacent to football and he has said he's heard anecdotally that the use of sleeping medication is far more pervasive throughout the game than is being publicly acknowledged.
Do you have any insight into whether this is the case or not? I know it isn't strictly related to the injury issue so if you'd prefer not answer I understand.
{Ed001's Note - it is very much so, many players have addiction issues related to sleeping pills.}
12 Apr 2024 14:36:34
Many thanks Ed001 to your typically well thought out and full reply to Steve's question which we have all be thinking about in recent times. Hopefully the CFC players as well as coaches, fitness trainers etc will read it!
{Ed001's Note - you would expect them to know all these things anyway and be working on the issues. Tailoring diets and fitness work etc. But one thing they need to do is push players harder - there is a reason that Cristiano Ronaldo, who used to do hours of extra fitness training a day, was very rarely injured. Same for Salah. Age catches up on them but they are much fitter than the average player and, as a result, suffer less injuries.}
12 Apr 2024 14:48:13
Thank you Ed, much appreciated.
{Ed001's Note - very welcome mate.}
12 Apr 2024 14:52:31
Excuse the pun, but what a nightmare. I have first hand experience of what it can be like becoming dependent on sleeping aids and it really is debilitating. I hope long term that those players are able to access the proper support they need.
{Ed001's Note - it can be very difficult when you are struggling to sleep, but these players should be automatically given help to teach them how to sleep. It is possible to learn how to sleep using relaxation techniques. They should be taught them in the academies and at the club. They get them together all the time for meals now, simply to make sure they eat properly once a day. But sleep is more important than diet, yet there is little work done on making sure players sleep properly.}
12 Apr 2024 15:06:33
Precisely Ed, CBT techniques massively helped me and should be far more widely available to players who have entire entourages looking out for them. Also in case anyone reading this is having these issues, magnesium before bed can be beneficial.
{Ed001's Note - there are so many things that can help, but the easy thing is just to hand a player a pill and let that do the work. It is a particular problem with modern medicine.}
12 Apr 2024 15:31:10
I was going to suggest JD and Coke but I guess some of them might forget the JD.
Seriously, sleep deprivation for any reason is a major problem for so many. My consultant says people reporting sleep issues are far higher after C.V..
12 Apr 2024 15:32:42
Regards to the injuries, there was interviews and bits before poch joined us from players he’d managed from Southampton and spurs saying they had some lots of injuries in poch first season because there was a lack of fitness and conditioning, how poch would do lots of intense training / running, usually day / training session before a game. They also said that come the second season the injuries improved massively, there were also bits about tuchel didn’t bring his fitness / conditioning coaches from when at psg and nor did potter, maybe explaining since June 2019 we have had 296 injuries,
12 Apr 2024 15:47:13
Matt, I wouldn’t have a clue but the 296 figure you have quoted, two questions 1) how does that compare to other teams? 2) How many managers/ coaches have other high injury teams had over a similar four year period?
12 Apr 2024 16:33:17
A fitness consultant I know says that UEFA has done some research into Injuries and have found that certain injuries are more prevalent where managers and fitness staff are changed on a regular basis.
Thing is I don't remember this being such a major problem under Roman but I guess we went through three managers in a year under the new lot.
{Ed001's Note - didn't you usually keep the same fitness coaches in place in Roman's time?}
12 Apr 2024 16:40:49
We did have some consistency with some coaches and assistants.
I’m sure there are a lot of factors to take into consideration. It does appear that a lot of teams have suffered a high number of injuries and I would like to think that a general review of injuries within football might take place as well as an in-house Chelsea review.
12 Apr 2024 18:37:34
Tom, I knew you would suggest a JD, but seriously a wee dram now and again to help you sleep is probably less damaging to your health than sleeping pills.
12 Apr 2024 21:31:20
Ed001, you have made some interesting points about injuries. Footballers generally are the most fragile of all professional athletes. They at the highest level are cosseted by the clubs from the realities of life e. g players ringing the club if their car brakes down. It always surprises me that players come in after a rigorous medical and are then out for lengthy periods with injuries. Obviously a medical can’t predict a soft tissue injury caused by under training or lifestyle issues. I do though have concerns about the Lavia situation . This is not just a problem at Chelsea.
{Ed001's Note - I do believe the cosseting contributes to the injury problems. They have life far too easy and that makes it difficult to work hard on your own. That's why so few do extra training. The chance to just play a bit more football a day would be a godsend to most of us, but to them it is work and they can't be bothered.}
13 Apr 2024 08:53:19
Which is why the the 8 year contracts were ludicrous.