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.
Personally, I would like to think that the reason for a rapid loss of players in the 2010 England jersey when it comes time to compete is more related to the intensity of the numerous games that England and other players in the Premier League face.
Participating in at least four competitions every season is a reality for many players playing on the top side of the league. 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.
As well as playing a lot of games, England plays games with a high degree of intensity. Whereas on the continent the game is often played in a more stop/start fashion, in England it is often full blood from the first whistle and played at a speed and pace which makes injuries inevitable. All things considered, players may play in around fifty matches in a season, a feat which would be rough in itself; however, the players also train and practice year round, increasing chance of injury.
The workload is immense and the toll comes on the player’s body. There reaches a point where injury isn’t just likely, but inevitable.
Consider England’s present line-up. 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. Wolcott injured a shoulder against Stroke in 2008, leading Capello to feel that he was lacking as a player.
The players on the team that are fit, didn’t get that way easily Ledly King keeps his knees in top shape by utilizing a specialist trainer. Other recovering athletes with injuries this season include Steven Gerard, and Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Aaron Lennon, Glen Johnson, Wayne Rooney and David James. Gareth Barry will most likely miss the first game of the finals due to recuperation from his last injury. Then of course there is David Beckham, who’s body finally gave up a couple of months ago after almost two constant years of soccer with LA Galaxy and Milan, when an Achilles injury ruling England’s most capped player 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.
Tags: england soccer, england world cup, soccer, World Cup