Over 30% of the total stops for physical reasons are in the muscles, and the percentage is increasing. How much does each player’s history weigh? Do sleep and nutrition matter? And the age?
“He stopped in time.” It’s a phrase that comes out of the mouths of coaches more and more often. For example from that of Simone Inzaghi, when Calhanoglu asked for a substitution just 12 minutes into the Roma-Inter match last October 20th. In an ever-evolving football language, between a “fifth” and a “arm”, this phrase to define muscle injuries is now also part of the game to all intents and purposes. Kvara, who stopped due to a low-grade injury to the medial collateral, and Loftus Cheek, who was knocked out in the Champions League due to a muscle injury to his biceps, also know this well. Even a tractor like Nicolò Barella suffered at the beginning of the season, victim of a strained rectus femoris in the September derby lost against Milan.