Tottenham Hotspur managed to avoid relegation, but the real homework starts now. The season-long injury nightmare that plagued the team, especially the unusually repeated anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, has prompted a large-scale club-level review.
British outlets such as the BBC and Sky Sports reported on the 27th (Korean time) that Tottenham is conducting an internal review of the squad's injury issues this season.
Tottenham barely secured their place by beating Everton 1-0 in the final Premier League match. But the process was dreadful. Key players went down one after another, and there were few periods during the season when the team fielded its full-strength lineup. The impact of injuries led not only to a drop in performance but also to a crisis of falling into the relegation zone.
The review is being led by performance director Dan Lewindon, who joined from City Football Group earlier this year. According to reports, Tottenham's squad availability rate last season was about 77%. Total days missed due to injury exceeded 2,000 days, and the number of matches missed in official competitions was one of the worst in the league. The club aims to raise the availability rate to 90% and reduce days missed to below 1,000.
The most serious concern is ACL injuries. James Maddison, Wilson Odobert, and Xavi Simons suffered long-term injuries. Dejan Kulusevski also effectively lost the season after undergoing surgery following a serious knee injury. It is reported that there is an internal recognition at the club that an abnormally high number of knee injuries occurred. The number of incidents was too great to dismiss as mere bad luck.
The scope of the cause analysis is broad. Tottenham is even investigating the condition of the pitch at their home stadium. In particular, they are examining whether the retractable pitch structure at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium affected player injuries. They are also comparing the turf elasticity of the training ground with that of other clubs' stadiums. So far, no clear differences have been found, and some injuries are being regarded as unavoidable accidents that occurred during landing.
There was also controversy over the medical staff's response. After Simons suffered a knee injury, footage showing him putting weight on his leg while walking drew criticism from fans. Tottenham has judged that the treatment at the time did not cause additional damage. Still, the club intends to change its medical system itself.
The key is individualized player management. The club plans to create personal profiles that synthesize strength, fatigue, physical durability and mental state, and build a structure focused more on prevention than treatment. They also plan to allow some players to rehabilitate with external medical staff. However, the club, the player and the external medical staff must agree on the same rehabilitation plan.
Collaboration between Roberto De Zerbi's regime and the medical team has also become important. There is a view that the recent confusion from a series of managerial changes over the past year is not unrelated to the increase in injuries. Tottenham plans to create an integrated structure in which the coaching staff, medical staff and the player coordinate rehabilitation speed together, and is preparing to appoint a person responsible for mental health management. <
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