Insider issues ‘red flag’ claim as Premier League make decision on pivotal Liverpool change
Liverpool players would not be at major risk of more injuries if the Premier League followed Fifa’s guidance on stoppage time.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
The World Cup has seen games regularly go over 100 minutes with more stoppage time after a directive from the chairman of the FIFA referees committee Pierluigi Collina.
The Daily Mail reported last week (24 November) that the Premier League will not follow suit and no discussions have taken place between officials and the PGMOL over a change.
“There are two theories here,” Dinnery told Football Insider‘s Connor Whitley.
“If you look at the medical aspect, are those red flags in terms of players [getting injured]? Fatigue is certainly one of those and the assumption would be that if you play for longer, at a higher intensity in these warmer climates then the more at risk you are at picking up an injury.
“The reality is, this has come about because they want the ball to be in play more and supporters to get value for money.
“That 60-minute guide is what they see as a minimum for the ball to be in play. We’ve seen, particularly in the Premier League, that entertainment value fall below that. Various discussions have been had on how to improve that and this is one of the measures that have been implemented by Fifa in this tournament.
“The reality is, yes the clock has been extended, but I wouldn’t say the demands are totally on the player in that time limit. Yes, it’s a slightly increased risk but not massively so.
“You should be able to play, as a player, be able to play a game where the ball is in play for 60, 70 or 80 minutes, whatever the environment.
“We’re talking about highly tuned, highly trained elite-level athletes here. Even off the back of this congested, highly intense fixture period. We’re in the middle of a domestic campaign rather than the end where we would maybe see more injuries.”
In other news, there has been a major Liverpool takeover update after an “approach” from Mukesh Ambani.