Player fatigue

[El Jefe]

I've noticed a recent trend on here for posters to link poor performances to what they perceive to be too much playing time. Over the last couple of seasons, AWB, Maguire, Bruno and Rashford have all been said to be performing poorly because they need a rest. This might be true in the last stretch of the season but I've seen people say this even before we've reached the half way point of the season.

I'm no sport scientist but I'm not necessarily sure I buy this. Players in their mid 20s should be as fit as ever and there's plenty examples of players playing 50-60 games year in year out with barely any discernible drop in performance. Lampard was famously able to play 38 games a season with about as much consistency as possible. The same for Ronaldo, Messi and other players of that nature who play up to 70 games a year including internationals.

I'm not saying players don't get tired but I don't believe they are consistently fatigued for 2-3 months as some on here will have you believe. Players can be tired for a small run of games during the season but they tend to recover pretty quickly. Hojberg racked up the most minutes in the PL last season and he's at the Euros still running tirelessly. The same with Andy Robertson who played the 12th most minutes in the PL last season. Manutd don't have a single player in the top 30 for minutes played.

The simple explanation sometimes is that a player just isn't performing well. AWB seemed to get better as the season wore on despite playing what seemed to be every game. Players build a rhythm when they play consistently and usually don't want a break in that rhythm.

 

[DOTA]

Players can obviously be physically and mentally fatigued for more than a small run of games. I'm not sure how managing to think of a few examples of players who have managed to play a lot of games and play well has convinced you that players generally only struggle occasionally and briefly from being tired.

 

[Bastian]

I think it's absolutely valid. It wasn't really being said until Ole started to run players into the ground, which he did in the 2019-2020 season, rushing players back (Pogba, Rashford) and not subbing them when they picked up injuries (Maguire, McTominay). It positively affected us having that season disrupted to get players back fit. But of course, we went far in the Europa and ended up having no pre-season, and no significant time off either. Then we see the squad used very little again, and the same players playing most games during what is an unprecedented schedule fiasco. Rashford probably being the worst performer towards the end of the season, but mitigating factors are him carrying at least two injuries. Bruno also faded quickly in the last part of the season and there is no question that guy is drained.

I also think that prior to Maguire's injury, Maguire and AWB were in the top 3 outfield players in Europe for minutes played. Could be wrong, but we've definitely got a lot of players in the most minutes played camp.

 

[youngrell]

Fatigue can affect you in many different ways, it doesn’t always have to mean physically tired. Being mentally sharp is just as important and even a small drop off at elite level is a massive difference.

And citing a handful of players who are able to play 70 games a season doesn’t mean everyone can.

 

[El Jefe]

Players can obviously be physically and mentally fatigued for more than a small run of games. I'm not sure how managing to think of a few examples of players who have managed to play a lot of games and play well has convinced you that players generally only struggle occasionally and briefly from being tired.

Fatigue can affect you in many different ways, it doesn’t always have to mean physically tired. Being mentally sharp is just as important and even a small drop off at elite level is a massive difference.

And citing a handful of players who are able to play 70 games a season doesn’t mean everyone can.

How do you gauge if a player is mentally tired though? None of us can tell that from watching them once or twice a week for 90mins. I can name a lot more than the handful of players I listed but that would be pointless. Bad form is a natural occurrence for any player, sometimes there just isn't an explanation. You often hear coaches mention they need to play players back into form, giving them weeks off doesn't necessarily improve their performance.

 

[youngrell]

How do you gauge if a player is mentally tired though? None of us can tell that from watching them once or twice a week for 90mins. I can name a lot more than the handful of players I listed but that would be pointless. Bad form is a natural occurrence for any player, sometimes there just isn't an explanation. You often hear coaches mention they need to play players back into form, giving them weeks off doesn't necessarily improve their performance.

Oh yeah, for sure bad form can be put down to a number of things, but signs of mental or physical fatigue can be assessed by a number of obvious examples such as running less, running with less intensity, losing a yard to a marked player, poor touch and loose passing. All things players such as Bruno have been guilty of in the later part of the season.

I agree it can be an easy excuse for some, but during this congested 18-24 months of football we've had, it is a very valid reason for a drop in performances. I'm amazed there hasn't been more muscle injuries to be honest.

I suppose one good thing is that this period might stand some players in very good stead when it comes to returning to a more normal routine.