Sports
Premier League’s restart hamstrung by injury fears
The Premier League will return on June 17 after a 100-day stoppage, cramming the remaining 92 games of the season into just five-and-a-half weeks.
A deluge of football may be welcomed by fans starved of live action for three months.
But it is expected to take a heavy toll on players hit by the combination of a long layoff, little contact training, fixture congestion and less hands-on treatment.
“We are expecting more injuries at this time,” Newcastle club doctor Paul Catterson told the BBC.
“We have had players asking if they can have ice baths after training and they can’t at the moment – all we can do is give them ice to take home. It’s like going back 15 years.”
The injury risk is of particular concern for those players who are out of contract at the end of the season and fearing for their future.
Championship side Charlton will be without top scorer Lyle Taylor for their battle against relegation as the 30-year-old has decided not to play and put a lucrative move at risk.
“It makes me think what would happen if I had an injury now that threatened the rest of my career,” Taylor told Sky. “I’ll be honest with you, it scared the life out of me.”
Olivier Giroud was also out of contract at the end of the campaign when coronavirus hit, but has been handed an extra year on his deal at Chelsea.
But at 33, the French World Cup winner is feeling the effects of pre-season-style training without the help of physios to aid his recovery.
“I’ll admit that if I could have more care and treatment to look after my body, it would be better,” he said.
To help lighten the load on players, the Premier League has not only adopted a temporary change to allow five substitutes per side, but also increased the size of a matchday squad from 18 to 20.
However, the lesson from Germany’s Bundesliga, which returned on May 16, is that an increase in injuries is almost inevitable.
According to sports science specialist Joel Mason, Bundesliga injuries went from a pre-lockdown average of 0.27 per game to 0.88 in the first round of fixtures after the competition resumed.
“The early indications from both training and matches continue to point in one direction – that post-lockdown injury rates are comfortably outside the boundaries of the typically observed injury rates,” Mason wrote in a blog post.
Conditioning expert Raymond Verheijen has been a consistent critic of the grind Premier League players are put under even without the complicating factor of coronavirus.
The Dutchman, who served as part of Guus Hiddink’s coaching staff and has worked with Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City in the past described the return as “Russian roulette with the health of players at stake.”
“I am convinced the players sense the danger, but they are in a difficult and dependent position,” Verheijen told the Mirror.
There is so much still to play for at both ends of the Premier League that players can ill afford to bed themselves back into rhythm.
The battle for survival or European qualification could come down to those lucky enough to have their stars on the pitch and not the treatment table. – worldfootball.net
The unbeaten away run of Accra Hearts of Oak will be put to the test tomorrow when they visit the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale to play as guests of Karela United. Described as one of the top-liners of the weekend games, the match will pitch one of the best home teams against the best away team, with their records on the line.
After playing a pulsating 2-2 draw with Kumasi Asante Kotoko last week, league leaders Medeama SC return to their fortress, the TnA Stadium, to welcome Berekum Chelsea FC in a clash of former league winners. Medeama have struggled in recent times to hold their own against the ‘Bibires’, losing their last four games both home and away.
However, according to Head Coach of Medeama, Tanko Ibrahim, that sequence of results will come to an end tomorrow as they look to crawl out of the claws of their opponents with victory. Eleven points separate the sides, with Berekum Chelsea lying a distant 14th position on the log. They have been a pale shadow of themselves this season, and it remains to be seen if Coach Samuel Boadu’s side can keep the bragging rights over the Yellow and Mauves in what has been described as one of their worse starts to a league season.
Today, second-placed Kpando Heart of Lions will trek to the Kwame Kyei Sports Complex in Abrankese to play as guests of struggling Nations FC. Having suffered a 1-0 away loss to Basake Holy Stars in their last game, Nations FC would look to pick all three points to better their current 12th position.
In other games, the Hohoe Sports Stadium will come alive as new boys Hohoe United FC welcome Kumasi Asante Kotoko. The Nii Adjei Kraku II Sports Complex in Tema will host the Vision FC versus Young Apostles FC game, the Tuba Astro Turf will host the Dreams FC versus Bechem United FC clash, while the Nsenkyire Sports Arena will host the Samartex FC versus Bibiani Gold Stars game. High-riding Aduana FC will sort things out with Basake Holy Stars at the Nana Agyeman Badu I Park in Dormaa.
By Raymond Ackumey
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When the international friendly match between Ghana’s Black Queens and the Lionesses of England was announced, it was received with mixed feelings. For the faint-hearted, lining up such a high-profile friendly against the European champions was an audacious move. Fans who aligned with this school of thought were guided by what has earned a place in Ghana’s football history as the ‘Bochum Disaster,’ recorded on April 14, 1993.
It was a disaster, although there was no loss of life. On that cold evening in Bochum, the Black Stars suffered a 6-1 humiliation from the German national team in an international friendly. It came as a shock to soccer fans across the globe, coming just a year after Abedi Ayew Pele skippered the Black Stars to dominate the continent, culminating in an AFCON final in the 1992 edition held in Senegal. In a final against the Elephants of La Cote d’Ivoire, the game went to extra time, with the eventual winner decided after a marathon penalty shoot-out. Ghana’s strength on the continent at the time was considered second best.
Fast forward to April, Ghana faced Germany again, needing a high-profile friendly to commence USA ‘94 World Cup qualifying. What followed was a battering that no follower of the team would want to remember—a 6-1 defeat for the team that had previously brought honour to the nation. Guided by this history, nervous fans had reason to doubt the Black Queens’ ability to share the field with the European champions, currently the top-ranked female team in the world, and come out unscathed.
However, there were fans who remained optimistic that the Black Queens would perform well. Despite losing the game 2-0, fans expressed satisfaction with the team’s overall performance, as many had anticipated a worse outcome than the Bochum disaster. The English coach had changed the team that had thrashed China 8-0 just four days earlier, which gave some hope to Ghana supporters.
The Black Queens defended well for 90 minutes, aided by some profligacy from the English in front of goal and an excellent performance from Ghana’s goalkeeper, Cynthia Konlan Findib. England captain Alessia Russo praised Ghana’s performance, stating, “Ghana provided the type of test we wanted… We want to test ourselves against different playing styles, and we definitely got that tonight.”
Despite the defeat, the match proved to be a valuable exercise for the team as they prepare for the next AFCON. It highlighted improvements in both the playing staff and the technical direction of the team. Coach Kim Lars scored full marks for knowing the strengths of his team and adopting strategies they were comfortable with. While some fans disapproved of the defensive approach, as long as it proves effective, it must be encouraged to achieve results rather than merely entertain the crowd.
By Andrew Nortey
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