Winter pileup takes its toll on Premier League players

04 February 2009 20:06
It is the seasons-old argument between those who claim that a winter break is vital for the health and fitness of English football and those who insist that multi-millionaire footballers should simply do what they are paid to do – play and entertain – regardless of the weather and the demands on their minds and bodies. [LNB]The punters want quantity, the managers demand quality, but expecting both at this time of the season, when wintry conditions and fatigue begin to take their toll on players throughout the Premier League, is akin to expecting that dreaded January credit-card bill to drop through the door with a zero balance. [LNB]Attendance figures traditionally rise during the congested Christmas fixture programme, underlining the appetite for football at a time when those within the game would rather be afforded the break enjoyed by their counterparts throughout Europe. [LNB]But while the paying supporter has consistently rejected calls for a winter break, scientific evidence collated by ProZone, the industry-leading football analysts, suggests for the first time that performance levels on the pitch drop considerably at the time of year when managers and coaches are advocating a period of rest and recuperation for their players. [LNB]Sir Alex Ferguson has consistently been a vocal advocate of a winter break, while Mark Hughes and Sam Allardyce have also voiced strong support for a brief winter shutdown. [LNB]ProZone, who work with 14 of the 20 Premier League clubs, have published a report titled An objective insight into whether English football should introduce a winter break, and the results of their analysis, conducted on players at every top-flight club, during the first 4½ months of the 2008-09 Premier League season, culminating in December – the busiest month in terms of fixtures – are eye-catching. [LNB]Data related to the high intensity work (sprinting and high-speed running) and distance covered on the pitch by the players highlighted a sizeable drop in performance in December – a 20 per cent fall on the season average in high intensity work and a 41 per cent drop from the season peak in distance covered. [LNB]Conversely, recovery time increased by 25 per cent on the season average in December. [LNB]So if footballers are unable to perform at anywhere near their optimum levels, supporters, in theory, are being short-changed at the turnstiles and the players become more susceptible to injury as a consequence of fatigue and heavy workload. [LNB]Gary Megson, the Bolton manager, reviewed the ProZone data generated by his players and he admits that the drop in performance levels is there for all to see. [LNB]Megson said: "I looked at our high intensity and distance covered figures and they are both down in December. People can make their own minds up as to why, but I'd suggest it was because of the amount of games we have to play in a short period. [LNB]"When we played Arsenal on Jan 10, the figures were back up again, but that is probably because we were back to one game a week, rather than the three games in eight days we had over Christmas. [LNB]"Fatigue does set in at this time of year, but you have mental fatigue as well. At the Premier League level, the demands are there all the time – not just in games, but in training and recovery – so you do see a noticeable drop in all of the physical stats. [LNB]"Injuries also tend be more prevalent at this time of year because players are playing more games in a short space of time." [LNB]ProZone's Blake Wooster admits that a broader and more in-depth study is required to state a cast-iron case for or against a winter break, however. [LNB]Wooster said: "We are not in any way calling for a mid-season break. We are merely presenting some interesting trend data on an area that is always topical among teams around this time of year. [LNB]"It will be interesting to monitor the trends for the remainder of the season, to observe the performance output, when most teams are required to play fewer games per week." [LNB]Having seen his team eliminated from the FA Cup at the third round stage last month, Megson and his Bolton players spent fourth round week training in Dubai, benefiting from a rare free weekend on their fixture calendar. [LNB]But while conceding the positive effects that would be generated by a winter break, Megson is wary of demanding a two-week shutdown in the face of opposition from the paying spectator. [LNB]He said: "You don't want to be bleating, especially in the current times, because other people are suffering an awful lot more than we are. This isn't the worst job in the world, it is the best, but it just isn't as easy as some think." [LNB]Timing is clearly a key issue. A shut down in early January, followed by the mass postponements due to this week's Siberian conditions, could have caused fixture chaos. [LNB]But at least the data is now there to supplement the argument that a break is perhaps a necessity and not a luxury.[LNB]How they do it in Europe[LNB]France: Ligue 1, closed Dec 20, resumed Jan 10.Italy: Serie A, Dec 21-Jan 11.Spain: La Liga, Dec 20-Jan 4.Germany: Bundesliga, Dec 13-Jan 27 (from 2009-10 season, break reduced by three weeks to Dec 21-Jan 15).Holland: Eredivisie, Dec 28-Jan 18.Portugal: La Liga, Dec 21-Jan 4.Russia: Premier League's 30-game season runs from March to November. [LNB]

Source: Telegraph