Stan Collymore has suggested that Tottenham’s astounding number of injuries may be down to a rather surprising reason that hardly anyone has mentioned.
Tottenham have veered from one injury crisis to another over the last two years, and they have hardly had anything close to a fully fit squad over that period.
That is reflected in their poor domestic showing, with the Lilywhites finishing in 17th place last season and in serious danger of being relegated from the Premier League this term.
Many Spurs fans have pointed fingers at the club’s medical department, but one pundit has suggested another surprising factor that could be causing the fitness issues at the North London club.
Pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium suggested as reason for injury crisis
In response to a question posed by Spurs content creator Ben Bowman on whether the retractable pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could be playing a part in the club’s injuries, Stan Collymore has given a really interesting response.
The former Liverpool man suggested that modern pitches in general are much harder than they used to be, describing them as a ‘disgrace’.
The former Liverpool man also opined that modern boots are doing the players no favours, with their joints and tendons taking the bulk of the impact.
Collymore wrote on X: “Modern pitches are a disgrace. 1 foot of compact sand with an inch of half grass, half plastic fibres. Add the disgrace that modern boots are, and the impact on joints, bones and tendons is the equivalent of jolting on concrete. Original pitches had soft earth under grass, allowing checking, turning and impacts to be absorbed. Player welfare sacrificed at the altar of all-season optics.”
Why these injury theories need to be taken with a pinch of salt
Pundits and fans can come up with all sorts of theories for the club’s injury situation, but it is difficult to say with any certainty if any of them have merit.
Tottenham have now been playing at their new stadium for nearly seven years, and their injury situation has markedly worsened in the last couple of years, which indicates that it is not just the pitch.
As is usually the case with most crises, Spurs’ injury situation may not have just one cause, with the problem potentially being down to a combination of factors.
It could even be as simple as Tottenham having too many injury-prone players in their squad, and that is a factor that the club may have to give much more weight to while making recruitment decisions.