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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp received a boost in his battle for five substitutes and his campaign to change the match schedule to reduce injuries after scientific research suggests he is right.
Klopp went to war after the Reds’ draw at Brighton, repeating his view that the Premier League should change its rules and allow five substitutes this season, due to match congestion, and called his Premier League partner, Chris Wilder of Sheffield United ‘selfish’. for opposing.
The outgoing coach also crossed swords with the announcers, apparently blaming BT Sport for James Milner’s hamstring injury, because his club had been chosen to play on the television strip at 12.30pm Saturday, after compete in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Klopp’s broadsides on both topics have become almost weekly, but the embattled manager finally has some support.
An international sports science study, which followed the temporary introduction of five substitutes last season, concluded that more substitutes would reduce the risk of injury to players.
Researchers led by Gustavo Mota from the Universidad del Triángulo Mineiro in Brazil, found that the demand on soccer players in competitive matches is much higher than in other sports, such as basketball, in which the use of substitutes is unlimited.
And Mota concluded, “This rule change can help address congested schedules and benefit injury prevention.”
The Brazilian research team, which reported on their work in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, also highlighted other studies that found that match congestion increases injury rates and players benefit from more than three days, 72 hours, to recover from matches.
Players who perform on a Wednesday night and return to play on Saturday at lunchtime will have about 62 hours of recovery.
Dr. David Archer, a sports scientist and expert in this field at the University of Sunderland, agrees with the Brazilians’ conclusions.
And he also agrees with Klopp that this season is unusual in terms of impact on players and should be seen as something unique.
‘The main reasons are the interruption of the preseason and then the interruption of the season [due to fixture congestion]Said Dr. Archer.
“I see that this season has been exceptional. Even if [the pandemic] moving forward to next year, it’s more likely that there will be a normal preseason. ”
During the preseason, conditioning work helps players strengthen muscles and protect against subsequent injuries, such as hamstring strains.
Last season ended later than usual due to the suspension of games due to the coronavirus pandemic and the preseason was cut short. Also, this season started later than usual, so the accessories have gotten thicker and faster.
“The players have not had the same level of preseason training, their preparation has been disrupted,” said Dr. Archer. Then they play games with little recovery and that affects the players too.
“It’s a double whammy for European football players because it also interrupts their preparation for weekend games.”
According to Premier Injuries, which compiles a database of injuries in the top flight, there have been 133 total muscle injuries during the first nine match days of this Premier League season, a 23% increase compared to the same period. from last year.
As a result, two areas of controversy have emerged: the number of substitutes allowed in matches and the recovery time for players who compete on weekdays and whose teams are then selected by broadcasters for a weekend kickoff at the time of the match. lunch.
Five substitutes were allowed in English football last season, to help players cope with the intense match schedule after the first national block.
This season, other European countries have continued with the sub-five rule and the EFL recently changed its regulations to follow suit.
However, Premier League clubs have twice rejected the proposal as the change is perceived to give an advantage to wealthier teams, whose squads are stronger in depth.
In recent weeks a number of Premier League coaches have changed their minds and now say they would support the change, but any decision would still need a 16-4 majority among top-flight clubs and no date has been set to review. the topic.
Dr. Archer and his colleagues have previously documented how the intensity of the Premier League has increased dramatically in recent years, particularly in the number of short sprints that players perform, which puts even more pressure on tired muscles, especially the ones. hamstrings.
So would the expert support a switch to more substitutes?
‘[The increase in injuries] it’s not surprising, ”Dr. Archer said. It would be useful to make more substitutions.
Liverpool will have been selected for the 12.30pm time slot on a Saturday three times before the end of the year. Would delaying the start of a team’s game a few hours if it played on Wednesday would make a difference?
“The more recovery time players have, the better,” said Dr. Archer, who notes that early start disrupts players’ routines and makes it more difficult to adjust to pre-game massages and other conditioning work, that can help protect them.
‘Even two and a half hours would make a little difference. An early kickoff makes things a lot more difficult. ”
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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