Why are football injuries on the rise?

W

e often think players and managers determine matches and titles, but just as important is availability and fitness. Across the Premier League, the number of players on treatment tables is growing.

According to Uefa studies, led by Jan Ekstrand, teams with better availability are more likely to win and injury rates tend to follow managers from club to club.

At present Chelsea have the most in the league (11), followed by Tottenham Hotspur (seven) and Sunderland (six). Arsenal — injury ravaged last season — have four.

Liverpool suffered their first major injury when their summer signing Giovanni Leoni tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in their League Cup win over Southampton. Tottenham’s James Maddison and Chelsea’s Levi Colwill suffered similar injuries.