Chelsea Suffer Injury Surge After Club World Cup As Europe’s Injury Bill Reaches £3bn

‎Chelsea suffered a 44% rise in injuries between June and October compared with the same period last season, according to a report released on Tuesday.

‎The timeframe includes the Club World Cup and its immediate aftermath. The findings lend weight to Enzo Maresca’s rotation policy and his repeated concerns over player fitness.

‎The report, published by insurance company Howden, estimates that injuries have cost clubs across Europe’s top five leagues almost £3bn over the past five years.

‎Maresca pointed to the impact of the Club World Cup in September after Chelsea were left without five defenders through injury and went on to lose three straight matches across the Champions League and Premier League. He made five changes for last week’s Champions League defeat to Atalanta.

‎That setback was followed by cryptic comments after Saturday’s Premier League win over Everton, when he said he had endured his “worst 48 hours” at the club due to a lack of support from unspecified figures.

‎The report found Chelsea had 23 injuries between 1 June and 31 October, including seven during the Club World Cup in the US, the same number as Paris Saint-Germain, whom they beat in the final.

‎Howden estimated Chelsea’s financial loss from players missing games due to injury at £17 million up to October, which is nearly a quarter of their £80 million Club World Cup prize money and more than a third of their £45 million loss from the previous season. The calculation is based on the wages paid to the injured players.

‎Manchester City were found to have had the second-most injuries among Club World Cup teams, at 22, although they did not sustain any during the tournament, perhaps because they were knocked out in the last 16. PSG were found to have had 19 injuries, including seven during the Club World Cup.

‎Howden’s findings echo concerns expressed by the global players’ union Fifpro regarding workload. A Fifpro report in October showed Chelsea’s players were given 20 days off after the Club World Cup and that PSG rested their players for 22 days.

‎“The Howden report demonstrates the impact of pushing players to their limits through a year-round schedule of football,” the Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive and Fifpro board member, Maheta Molango, said.

‎“Serious injuries are always going to happen if players are not given proper breaks for rest and recovery. Players are exposed to an extreme schedule at a younger and younger age.

‎”That will have an impact on their careers and their well-being. The current calendar makes no sense for players, fans, or clubs.”

‎Howden has published the Men’s European Football Injury Index for the past five years, with the latest report showing 22,596 injuries across Europe’s top five men’s leagues during that period, costing clubs a total of £2.97bn.

‎Premier League teams account for 24% of these injuries, with over £1bn spent on salaries for sidelined players.

‎Manchester United incurred the highest injury costs of Premier League clubs at £154.5m over five years, with Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City above average.

‎The report also notes that younger players are the most vulnerable to injury.

‎Over the past five years, Premier League forwards under 21 have sustained an injury roughly every 120 minutes of competitive domestic football.