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The Premier League is one of Europe's most competitive football leagues. The league is renowned for its competitiveness and high octane levels.
Asides from squad depth, squad coherence, and tactical brilliance, one factor that largely affects a team's performance is injury. Injuries to key players of a club affect the core of the team, which could result in a reduction in performance.
Some clubs in the English top flight were hit hard with injuries in the 2022-23 season. Without further ado, we look at the five clubs that suffered the most injuries in the league in the previous campaign.
#5 Tottenham Hotspur - 35 injuries
While it can be easily stated that Tottenham had a shambolic 2022-23 season, it is also worth noting that the Lilywhites were plagued with injuries all through the season. The North London club had players miss a combined 1085 days and 132 games due to injuries.
They suffered a total of 35 individual injuries (four knee injuries, six hamstrings, one calf injury, and 24 other injury problems). Tottenham's high injury number no doubt is one of the many reasons for their horrendous campaign.
#4 Liverpool - 36 injuries
One club that suffered immensely last season from players' absence due to injuries is Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp's side were hugely deficient in the midfield department as injuries to Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Thiago, and Arthur Melo made the Reds short of adequate manpower in the middle.
Even attackers Luiz Diaz, Roberto Firmino, and Diogo Jota were sidelined for a long period of time. This plus other tactical flaws contributed to a sixth-place finish for the Merseyside club.
The 2020 Premier League champions had their players sidelined mostly from hamstrings alongside other serious injuries, missing a total of 1574 days and 184 games.
#3 Nottingham Forest - 37 injuries
Nottingham Forest made a return to the Premier League last season after a 23-year absence and were able to escape relegation thanks to a series of top performances towards the tail end of the season.
The Ticky Tees made 21 signings last summer to strengthen their top-flight aspirations which left them with a bloated squad. Steve Cooper's side suffered a total of 37 individual injuries last season.
Key players like Dean Henderson, Chris Wood, Neco Williams, Giulian Biancone, and Scott McKenna all suffered lengthy injury spells.
#2 Newcastle United - 39 injuries
Newcastle United was one of the best-performing sides in the Premier League last term. The Magpies pushed above the weight, displacing some of the big teams to a fourth-place finish on the table. They also finished as runners-up in the League Cup, losing 2-0 to Manchester United in the final.
However, Edie Howe's side had its own fair share of injury worry. They are ranked second on the list of clubs with the most injuries in the league last season. Newcastle suffered 39 injuries last season. Luckily, it did not affect the core of the team which was their defense department.
Most of the club's injuries were to attacking players like Alexander Isak, Allan Saint-Maximin, and Callum Wilson alongside other fringe players. This statistic further shows how impressive and resolute the Tyneside club were in the previous campaign.
Therefore, kudos must go to Eddie Howe for steering his players toward such a successful campaign amidst the injuries suffered.
#1 Chelsea - 48 injuries
The Blues were the Premier League club that suffered the most individual injuries last season and this played a part in their awful performances across competitions. As per The Athletic, Chelsea players missed a combined 1836 days and 216 games due to injuries.
These terrible statistics can be attributed to the squad size of the south-west London club last season. They had about 32 players on their league roster which in turn increased the possible amount of injuries.
Due to constant injuries and managerial changes, Chelsea failed to use the same lineup throughout the course of the Premier League season. They used 38 different lineups in the 38 league games, which were breeding grounds for a lack of play pattern or consistency.
Players like N'Golo Kante, Armando Broja, Reece James, Christian Pulisic, and Wesley Fofana missed out on a good chunk of the season due to injuries. In total, the Blues suffered from 14 knee injuries, 13 hamstrings, two quadriceps, two calf injuries, and 17 other types of injuries that sidelined their players.
The Blues have parted ways with a large chunk of their squad already and are looking to sell more players this summer. Whoever, they bring in, the team has to work on improving their fitness levels and the new manager Mauricio Pochettino has to work on managing the stress levels of the squad better than the club did last season.
