Poor Rio Ferdinand is going to have to wait on dreams of the World Cup race after being ruled out of the competition mere days before the start due to a knee injury that he acquired during training.
A number of people are superstitious about the reasons for the injury, chalking it up 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.
I believe that the luck theory is less than accurate and that the reason that top players get injured before donning the 2010 England jersey is most likely due to the repetitive strain of the sheer number of matches that the team faces in a single season.
Playing for a top side also means taking part in four competitions a season. These include The Premier League, The Champions League or Europa Cup, The FA Cup and the Carling Cup. That doesn’t include the plethora of pre-season friendlies or the 6-10 international games that occur before, during and after the season.
Then there is the speed and intensity of the game in England. England’s game is different from others in that it is played at a faster pace and at a higher intensity. Even accounting for squad rotation and players not playing in FA Cup or Carling Cup ties, many top players will be playing 40-50 very tough games a season, not to mention training.
This type of labour has dire consequences on the body of player. With so much time spent playing, it should be more surprising when a player doesn’t get injured.
For proof, look no further than England’s National team. Rio Ferdinand, Bobby Zamora, Owen Hargreaves, and Michael Owen all suffered injuries this year, leaving the squad, which originally had 30 men insanely short staffed. Capello eliminated Theo Wolcott After his game performance suffered due to an injured shoulder that he sustained in 2008 match against Stroke.
Then of course we look at those players who are fit Ledly King keeps his knees in top shape by utilizing a specialist trainer. David James, Glen Johnson, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard, Aaron Lennon and most worryingly of all Wayne Rooney have all recently recovered from injury. Gareth Barry will most likely miss the first game of the finals due to recuperation from his last injury. Soccer hero David Beckham finally had to call it quits after an Achilles injury pushed him out of the playing squad for the finals.
If England wants to win another World Cup, we may have to tone down our enthusiasm for fast-paced, highly intense games.
