Just days before the World Cup starts and Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United and England captain, has been ruled out of the competition after sustaining a knee ligament injury during training.
Many people may put this down to bad luck. Some say that after Ferdinand’s injuries all season mean that this kind of thing was bound to happen to the United champion, while others feel that this situation is the result of an injury jinx as old as the game itself, that dictates that players get injured close to major finals games.
Personally, I would like to think that the reason for a rapid loss of players in the England jersey when it comes time to compete is more related to the intensity of the numerous games that England and other players in the Premier League face.
Participating in at least four competitions every season is a reality for many players playing on the top side of the league. Among these are The Premier League, The FA Cup, The Champions League or Europa Cup, The Carling Cup and The FA Cup. This list doesn’t include any of the pre- and post-season games that occur in a season, or the number of pre-season friendlies in which a team can participate.
In addition to the number of games England plays, the speed and intensity of an average match is high. Whereas on the continent the game is often played in a more stop/start fashion, in England it is often full blood from the first whistle and played at a speed and pace which makes injuries inevitable. A number of top players are known to engage in between forty and fifty difficult games in a single season, plus training.
This type of labour has dire consequences on the body of player. There reaches a point where injury isn’t just likely, but inevitable.
Look at England’s current squad. We’ve already had to lament the loss of Rio Ferdinand, Bobby Zamora, Owen Hargreaves, and Michael Owen from the World Cup tournament, a very sad fact, considering that they are all great players. Capello eliminated Theo Wolcott After his game performance suffered due to an injured shoulder that he sustained in 2008 match against Stroke.
The players on the team that are fit, didn’t get that way easily Ledley King needs specialist training to keep his knees in prime condition. Aaron Lennon, Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, David James, and Wayne Rooney have all succumbed to injury this season and are in recovery. People like Gareth Barry will be missing the first game of the World Cup finals against the United States. England’s most capped player, David Beckham sustained in Achilles injury several months ago, which ruled him out as a player in the World Cup finals.
If England wants to win another World Cup, we may have to tone down our enthusiasm for fast-paced, highly intense games.
