During last month’s international break, Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson dislocated his shoulder while playing for Scotland in their Euro 2024 qualifier against Spain.
When he returned to Liverpool, it was decided that the best option was surgery. Jurgen Klopp confirmed the procedure took place on October 25 and that the rehabilitation period will take around three months (via BBC Sport).
Chronologically, this remains the worst injury to hit Liverpool this season. Injuries are becoming more and more common in the Premier League. There have been 196 since the start of the season, a 15 per cent increase on the past four campaigns, pundit Ben Dinnery told BBC Sport. This revelation certainly raised fears for the players’ well-being, and at this point it seems anything can happen. The situation will only get worse. Next season, the team will play two more matches in the first round of UEFA competitions with the introduction of the new “Swiss model”. Among the 36 teams, the teams ranked 9th to 24th in the overall standings must play an additional playoff round to advance to the round of 16. The traditional break from December to February will no longer be played, and the finalists will have 17 matches to play in the tournament.
FIFA has also introduced an expanded Club World Cup, which will take place every four years from 2025 and will feature 32 teams, with 12 European teams participating. If held in the summer, the season for elite athletes could be significantly extended.The game moves in an unsettling direction and you do nothing to control it. For example, there are no signs that the international competition schedule will be shortened to accommodate increasingly busy club schedules.
In contrast, more teams have been added to the European Championships, the African Cup of Nations, the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the AFC Asian Cup in recent years, and from 2026 the World Cup will feature 48 countries. Simply put, compliance means more money, so holding back means diminishing returns.One of the few big moves we’ve seen is the introduction of five permutations. It won’t be enough to prevent a player welfare crisis, but we can at least mitigate the problem by keeping calm during games. In fact, we should consider how difficult the current situation would be if the Premier League decided to use three substitutes. We recall that there was initial opposition to the plan, which won enough votes in 2022 after it was used temporarily as part of the project restart.
Liverpool manager Klopp was one of the toughest, most consistent and most frustrating defenders when clubs voted against him. “It’s important to have five players back in the Premier League at any one time,” he said in March 2022 (via Anfield). “I don’t understand why it took me so long to figure it out because the Premier League has to keep its best players too.” If you keep your players fit, you will obviously have a lot less injuries. Year – Let’s take a look at when it is finally introduced. So I say we need five subscribers. I don’t know why you (reporters in the room) are laughing. Because it’s not fun. “We need five replacements.”The saddest thing is that these changes were only approved on the grounds that they would not harm the club’s income. In that sense, it was free PR.But the top players are not alone in their decisions and should be grateful to figures like Klopp who has effectively used his platform to speak on their behalf.
Of course, we won’t see much change until FIFA officials and continental subsidiaries take action, but in the current situation, all measures that can ease the burden on players, such as adding substitutes, must be considered.
