Injuries 2025/26 | Kovacic could be ruled out for further 3-4 months (p37)

Marvin. said:
I wasn't expecting anyone to answer my question completely because it is a significant question requiring some work. You would need heat maps to establish which teams play high lines, and then you would need to do some data analysis to find if there is a significant difference in the number of injuries between teams playing a high defensive line and in those that spring out of a low defensive block. An hypothesis might be that a high defensive line is associated with more sustained sprints and tackles that are associated with injuries. However, you might also expect those teams to be playing in a low block without the ball to have to work harder. It's not obvious which regime imposes the highest physical demands on players, or perhaps it is and I don't see it.
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We’re the only team in the league that plays with such a high line, with centre halves in the opposition half, and the only team in the league whose defenders are routinely injured.

Anecdotal but it counts for something.
 
Everyone moans about international breaks and players coming back injured but the only place they get injured is in Manchester.

Why.
 
Marvin. said:
I wasn't expecting anyone to answer my question completely because it is a significant question requiring some work. You would need heat maps to establish which teams play high lines, and then you would need to do some data analysis to find if there is a significant difference in the number of injuries between teams playing a high defensive line and in those that spring out of a low defensive block. An hypothesis might be that a high defensive line is associated with more sustained sprints and tackles that are associated with injuries. However, you might also expect those teams to be playing in a low block without the ball to have to work harder. It's not obvious which regime imposes the highest physical demands on players, or perhaps it is and I don't see it.
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I asked AI for you. I'm too thick to understand most of its reply.

The hypothesis posits that teams employing a high defensive line (which often correlates with high pressing and lower PPDA values) experience more injuries due to associated sustained sprints and tackles.

To test this, I focused on PPDA as a proxy metric for defensive line height (lower PPDA indicates a higher line and more intense pressing), classifying teams from the 2023-24 season (the most complete dataset available) as "high line" (PPDA < 10.5) or "low block" (PPDA > 10.5). Injury burden was measured by total games missed due to injury per team.
High line teams: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Chelsea, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham (mean games missed: 1318.4).
Low block teams: Burnley, Crystal Palace, Everton, Luton, Manchester United, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, West Ham, Wolves (mean games missed: 1247.1).
Although high line teams had slightly higher average injury burden, a t-test showed no significant difference (t = 0.755, p = 0.46). Data for other seasons was incomplete or inconsistent, but similar patterns in prior years suggest the hypothesis lacks strong support overall.
 
Liverpool fans warned us Pep Lijnders training style will shock some at the club and that injuries are to be expected.

He absolutely rags them in training apparently.
 
danielwood5 said:
People need to get used to injuries, it's a by-product of the Premier League's new 'allow physical play' directive.
If the opposition are allowed to just kick lumps out of us all game and go in with two handed shoves in the back injuries will inevitably mount up.
The days of skillful players in the premier league are over, to be successful players need to be big, strong, willing to dive at a moments notice and whinge to the referee as a team when they get tackled.
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I think you have a fair point. It's tiresome how often commentators say "for me, he needs to be stronger there.." This line is trotted out whenever a player is pushed in the back and falls over.
 
BLOOMUEN said:
Absolutely not. ‘Bit of a reset.

With a spine of Donnarruma, JS, Rodri and Erling, things will turn around. We also still have Pep.

Would you swap him for Slot or Arteta?

It isn’t that bad…

A good result and performance against the rags would be very welcome, however.
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Idk I hope not.

Still not convinced Donnarumma can save us
We can’t rely on Stones anymore
Did you see Rodri’s comments …
I think we rely too heavily on Haaland and he’s there’s so much he needs to work on

But I will never stop believing in these guys who gave me the best moments of my life. I hope they turn things around
 
BluestBlue said:
Idk I hope not.

Still not convinced Donnarumma can save us
We can’t rely on Stones anymore
Did you see Rodri’s comments …
I think we rely too heavily on Haaland and he’s there’s so much he needs to work on

But I will never stop believing in these guys who gave me the best moments of my life. I hope they turn things around
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It also concerns me that Haaland is still the only out and out striker at the club…,
 
Exeter Blue I am here said:
It also concerns me that Haaland is still the only out and out striker at the club…,
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Not me, just run false 9 whenever we need a break. We can drop a midfielder lower to help Donnarumma play out and play like PSG will help our press because we’d essentially have all 10 players helping out instead of missing one
 
BluestBlue said:
Not me, just run false 9 whenever we need a break. We can drop a midfielder lower to help Donnarumma play out and play like PSG will help our press because we’d essentially have all 10 players helping out instead of missing one
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Yes. We have a number of players who will do well in that role, IMO.
Cherki, Bobb, Foden, Marmoush, to name but 4.
 
Malcontent said:
I think you have a fair point. It's tiresome how often commentators say "for me, he needs to be stronger there.." This line is trotted out whenever a player is pushed in the back and falls over.
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Exactly, it doesn't matter how strong someone is, a two handed shove in the back when they're moving will cause them to stumble or fall, as was the case with Lewis against Wolves.
It happened laods last season and again this one, we're back to referees only making decisions when players dive theatrically or the team get on their backs after every tackle.
There's been loads of 'tackles' with defenders just running through the back of attacking players, this gives the, usually, bigger defender an advantage as the attacker is trying to run while also manipulate the ball.
With these new guidelines I suspect we're going to see loads of knee and ankle injuries due to players constantly getting clattered and kicked while trying to control the ball. That's fine if you want to watch 80s football but we've got a team who's skill-set is more about being technical players rather than big, strong, direct players and the way games are refereed now means we will not only struggle to actually play football but we'll also pick up loads of injuries, particularly when you compare how players can kick lumps out of our players but if you breathe near a Liverpool player it's a card and a sending off while players like Mcallister and Roberts can just foul opposition all match.
 
Macca77macca said:
Everyone moans about international breaks and players coming back injured but the only place they get injured is in Manchester.

Why.
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It isn't the only place they get injured, we have had quite a few players injured on International duty.
But they spend a far greater proportion of the season in Manchester, therefore that is where they are more likely to get injured.

In fact for much of Pros time at City we have had a low injury rate, in the video of City's season there is a bit where the medical team are awarded team of the year for the low injury rate.

I suspect our recent higher injury rate has coincided with a bit of bad luck but probably cumulative fatigue.
We have reached every FA cup final, generally the latter stages of the champions league and have had to press for every point in the PL as we fight for a tight win or last season top four place. In addition are players have often been starters at International tournaments and recently the club world cup.
 
Gorbachev said:
Liverpool fans warned us Pep Lijnders training style will shock some at the club and that injuries are to be expected.

He absolutely rags them in training apparently.
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Funny that as Liverpool seemed to play the same 11 week in week out when it was us and them fighting it out.
Maybe he might introduce them magic inhalers to the squad.
 
CΛL said:
We’re the only team in the league that plays with such a high line, with centre halves in the opposition half, and the only team in the league whose defenders are routinely injured.

Anecdotal but it counts for something.
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Year after year, the stats were very clear: in running off the ball, City covered more miles/kms over the whole season than any other team. Since 2017, we've been not just the most skillful team, but the hardest working one. You can play a high line, when you've got that. As soon as we lost the ball, players were working their bollocks off to get it back. Also, back-four players who were high up the pitch were running back very quickly to take up their defensive posts.
For obvious reasons, that wasn't possible last season, and if you were clear-eyed there were even signs of its decline the season before, although we were champions. With the rejuvenation of the team — in the strict sense — we may get that back. Can Pep inculcate that into the current crop? Who knows? But if he doesn't, and can't, the high line is simply suicidal — as we keep seeing.
 
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