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Player Xavi Simons

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Jaynola said:
Our players are physically fragile, but mainly they're very weak mentally and they play for an organisation where losing is okay & cutting corners is not frowned upon...so it's no surprise they don't live the life, train well, do the extra work at home, eat right, have good sleep patterns etc.
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Agree with most of that. Never subscribe to the “ok with losing” idea. Don’t believe any owner, leader or manager of a competitive sporting organisation thinks losing is ok or acceptable. Nobody is out there doing their version of The Producers.

However, I would suggest our standards are significantly lower than most other clubs.
 
AberdeenYid said:
It can’t be boots or shin pads, or we’d be seeing similar figures throughout the league.

It could be the depth of the pitch and training pitch.

I’d say it’s more likely that the players haven’t been properly trained for three years. And yes, I’m still a fan of Ange, but he couldn’t hold a training session if you sellotaped one to his fucking hand.

We don’t train properly and still have to cover 10k per match. Didn’t some recent signing or manager say that he was amazed how much time the players spent on machines and not on the pitch at training? Bound to have a negative effect.
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From Google Ai when searching for
"ACL injuries last 5 years PL"


ACL injuries in the Premier League have seen a marked increase in the 2024/25 season, with over 10 incidents by April 2025, compared to 12 in the entire 2023/24 season and only 7 in 2022/23. High-profile injuries have impacted teams, with notable players like Rodri and Gabriel Jesus suffering ACL ruptures, often attributed to high workloads and fixture congestion. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Notable Premier League ACL Injuries (Recent Years)
  • 2024/25 Season: Rodri (Manchester City), Radu Drăgușin (Tottenham), Wes Burns (Ipswich), Orel Mangala (Everton), Chadi Riad (Crystal Palace), Gabriel Jesus (Woolwich), Enes Unal (Bournemouth), Yerson Mosquera (Wolverhampton), Abdul Fatawu (Leicester). [1]
  • 2023/24 Season: Jurrien Timber (Woolwich), Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa), Wesley Fofana (Chelsea), Ivan Perišić (Tottenham), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United). [1, 2]
  • Previous Years: Sven Botman (Newcastle) suffered an ACL tear, missing a significant portion of 2023/24. [1]
Key Factors Cited for Increases
  • Congested Fixtures: Increased workloads from FIFA, UEFA, and domestic competitions, with many injuries occurring during busy December/January periods.
  • Fatigue and Intensity: Intense training, modern playing styles, and high physical demands, often causing fatigue.
  • Physical Factors: Sudden shifts in direction, quick stops, and potential issues with footwear or playing surfaces. [1, 2, 3]
While ACL injuries are no longer automatically career-ending, they often result in 9–12 months of rehabilitation, causing players to miss the majority of the season


So clearly an increase across the league, not just for Spurs.


Out of interest, I then researched La Liga ALC injures.

ACL injuries have been a major issue in La Liga over the last five years, with a notable spike in high-profile cases, particularly at Real Madrid, between 2023 and 2025. Studies indicate that defenders are the most affected position (44.5%), with the majority of injuries occurring through non-contact mechanisms or during defensive actions. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Prominent La Liga ACL Injuries (2020–2026)
  • Real Madrid: The club experienced a severe concentration of ACL injuries, with Eder Militão (suffered twice: Aug 2023, Nov 2024), Thibaut Courtois (Aug 2023), David Alaba (Dec 2023), Dani Carvajal (Oct 2024), and César Palacios (July 2024) all suffering ACL tears. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
  • FC Barcelona: Gavi suffered a complete ACL tear in November 2023 while on duty for Spain. Alexia Putellas (Barcelona Femení) also suffered a major ACL injury in 2022. [1, 2]
  • Villarreal: Logan Costa suffered an ACL injury during the 2024 pre-season.
  • Other notable injuries: Iker Muniain (Athletic Club), Oscar de Marcos (Athletic Club), and Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad) all had long-term ACL setbacks within this general timeframe. [1, 2]

Definitely worth a mention here, regarding the Madrid ones - at least 2 as far as I can see were sustained before anyone kicked a ball in their new retractable pitch.
 
Matt1882 said:
From Google Ai when searching for
"ACL injuries last 5 years PL"


ACL injuries in the Premier League have seen a marked increase in the 2024/25 season, with over 10 incidents by April 2025, compared to 12 in the entire 2023/24 season and only 7 in 2022/23. High-profile injuries have impacted teams, with notable players like Rodri and Gabriel Jesus suffering ACL ruptures, often attributed to high workloads and fixture congestion. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Notable Premier League ACL Injuries (Recent Years)
  • 2024/25 Season: Rodri (Manchester City), Radu Drăgușin (Tottenham), Wes Burns (Ipswich), Orel Mangala (Everton), Chadi Riad (Crystal Palace), Gabriel Jesus (Woolwich), Enes Unal (Bournemouth), Yerson Mosquera (Wolverhampton), Abdul Fatawu (Leicester). [1]
  • 2023/24 Season: Jurrien Timber (Woolwich), Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa), Wesley Fofana (Chelsea), Ivan Perišić (Tottenham), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United). [1, 2]
  • Previous Years: Sven Botman (Newcastle) suffered an ACL tear, missing a significant portion of 2023/24. [1]
Key Factors Cited for Increases
  • Congested Fixtures: Increased workloads from FIFA, UEFA, and domestic competitions, with many injuries occurring during busy December/January periods.
  • Fatigue and Intensity: Intense training, modern playing styles, and high physical demands, often causing fatigue.
  • Physical Factors: Sudden shifts in direction, quick stops, and potential issues with footwear or playing surfaces. [1, 2, 3]
While ACL injuries are no longer automatically career-ending, they often result in 9–12 months of rehabilitation, causing players to miss the majority of the season


So clearly an increase across the league, not just for Spurs.


Out of interest, I then researched La Liga ALC injures.

ACL injuries have been a major issue in La Liga over the last five years, with a notable spike in high-profile cases, particularly at Real Madrid, between 2023 and 2025. Studies indicate that defenders are the most affected position (44.5%), with the majority of injuries occurring through non-contact mechanisms or during defensive actions. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Prominent La Liga ACL Injuries (2020–2026)
  • Real Madrid: The club experienced a severe concentration of ACL injuries, with Eder Militão (suffered twice: Aug 2023, Nov 2024), Thibaut Courtois (Aug 2023), David Alaba (Dec 2023), Dani Carvajal (Oct 2024), and César Palacios (July 2024) all suffering ACL tears. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
  • FC Barcelona: Gavi suffered a complete ACL tear in November 2023 while on duty for Spain. Alexia Putellas (Barcelona Femení) also suffered a major ACL injury in 2022. [1, 2]
  • Villarreal: Logan Costa suffered an ACL injury during the 2024 pre-season.
  • Other notable injuries: Iker Muniain (Athletic Club), Oscar de Marcos (Athletic Club), and Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad) all had long-term ACL setbacks within this general timeframe. [1, 2]

Definitely worth a mention here, regarding the Madrid ones - at least 2 as far as I can see were sustained before anyone kicked a ball in their new retractable pitch.
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More fixtures, more intensity, less rest would probably be factors. On the boots subject, might it be the players wearing boots with less rounded studs than they used to? Can see that effecting things as that could make a sudden turn difficult.
 
AberdeenYid said:
More fixtures, more intensity, less rest would probably be factors. On the boots subject, might it be the players wearing boots with less rounded studs than they used to? Can see that effecting things as that could make a sudden turn difficult.
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For years I've bemoaned players slipping over. It shouldn't happen. They should wear the right boots for the surface, but they all seem to wear bladed type boots. Probably because they're paid to.
 
AberdeenYid said:
Agree with most of that. Never subscribe to the “ok with losing” idea. Don’t believe any owner, leader or manager of a competitive sporting organisation thinks losing is ok or acceptable. Nobody is out there doing their version of The Producers.

However, I would suggest our standards are significantly lower than most other clubs.
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I get you, brother. Obviously they don't encourage losing and they'd rather win, but I just don't think losing games is as bad as it is at other (proper) big clubs. ENIC don't have that "failure is not an option/winning is everything" mentality you see at City, Real, Bayern, PSG...at least not where football is concerned. They say they do, but there's 25+ years of evidence that's just pure PR bullshit.

Problem is, losing becomes a habit when you've lost 100s of games just the past few years, it becomes ingrained within everything at the club, not just the players. And it just doesn't hurt anymore, so they just accept it. It's all well and good wanting to change things, but you gotta have the goods for it and they don't. At this point they just gotta admit they've failed spectacularly and fuck off...but money & arrogance mean they won't. Unfortunately for us fans, there's no cure for that cancer. I genuinely think going down to the Championship ain't even as low as we'll sink under their rule.
 
Jaynola said:
I get you, brother. Obviously they don't encourage losing and they'd rather win, but I just don't think losing games is as bad as it is at other (proper) big clubs. ENIC don't have that "failure is not an option/winning is everything" mentality you see at City, Real, Bayern, PSG...at least not where football is concerned. They say they do, but there's 25+ years of evidence that's just pure PR bullshit.

Problem is, losing becomes a habit when you've lost 100s of games just the past few years, it becomes ingrained within everything at the club, not just the players. And it just doesn't hurt anymore, so they just accept it. It's all well and good wanting to change things, but you gotta have the goods for it and they don't. At this point they just gotta admit they've failed spectacularly and fuck off...but money & arrogance mean they won't. Unfortunately for us fans, there's no cure for that cancer. I genuinely think going down to the Championship ain't even as low as we'll sink under their rule.
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Closer to my thoughts. If calm it a lack of winning mentality, rather than an acceptance of losing. Comes down to the same thing in the end I suppose.
 
Matt1882 said:
From Google Ai when searching for
"ACL injuries last 5 years PL"


ACL injuries in the Premier League have seen a marked increase in the 2024/25 season, with over 10 incidents by April 2025, compared to 12 in the entire 2023/24 season and only 7 in 2022/23. High-profile injuries have impacted teams, with notable players like Rodri and Gabriel Jesus suffering ACL ruptures, often attributed to high workloads and fixture congestion. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Notable Premier League ACL Injuries (Recent Years)
  • 2024/25 Season: Rodri (Manchester City), Radu Drăgușin (Tottenham), Wes Burns (Ipswich), Orel Mangala (Everton), Chadi Riad (Crystal Palace), Gabriel Jesus (Woolwich), Enes Unal (Bournemouth), Yerson Mosquera (Wolverhampton), Abdul Fatawu (Leicester). [1]
  • 2023/24 Season: Jurrien Timber (Woolwich), Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa), Wesley Fofana (Chelsea), Ivan Perišić (Tottenham), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United). [1, 2]
  • Previous Years: Sven Botman (Newcastle) suffered an ACL tear, missing a significant portion of 2023/24. [1]
Key Factors Cited for Increases
  • Congested Fixtures: Increased workloads from FIFA, UEFA, and domestic competitions, with many injuries occurring during busy December/January periods.
  • Fatigue and Intensity: Intense training, modern playing styles, and high physical demands, often causing fatigue.
  • Physical Factors: Sudden shifts in direction, quick stops, and potential issues with footwear or playing surfaces. [1, 2, 3]
While ACL injuries are no longer automatically career-ending, they often result in 9–12 months of rehabilitation, causing players to miss the majority of the season


So clearly an increase across the league, not just for Spurs.


Out of interest, I then researched La Liga ALC injures.

ACL injuries have been a major issue in La Liga over the last five years, with a notable spike in high-profile cases, particularly at Real Madrid, between 2023 and 2025. Studies indicate that defenders are the most affected position (44.5%), with the majority of injuries occurring through non-contact mechanisms or during defensive actions. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Prominent La Liga ACL Injuries (2020–2026)
  • Real Madrid: The club experienced a severe concentration of ACL injuries, with Eder Militão (suffered twice: Aug 2023, Nov 2024), Thibaut Courtois (Aug 2023), David Alaba (Dec 2023), Dani Carvajal (Oct 2024), and César Palacios (July 2024) all suffering ACL tears. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
  • FC Barcelona: Gavi suffered a complete ACL tear in November 2023 while on duty for Spain. Alexia Putellas (Barcelona Femení) also suffered a major ACL injury in 2022. [1, 2]
  • Villarreal: Logan Costa suffered an ACL injury during the 2024 pre-season.
  • Other notable injuries: Iker Muniain (Athletic Club), Oscar de Marcos (Athletic Club), and Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad) all had long-term ACL setbacks within this general timeframe. [1, 2]

Definitely worth a mention here, regarding the Madrid ones - at least 2 as far as I can see were sustained before anyone kicked a ball in their new retractable pitch.
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It's the ref's fault...
 
Spaniel said:
It's the ref's fault...
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VAR can be attributed to things like hamstring injuries when players are stood around for 7-8 minutes and then have to go back to full sprints.

Example. VDV went off with a hamstring injury less than 10 minutes after a 7+ minute VAR delay vs Chelsea when they ruled out a Chelsea goal, sent off Romero and then have a penalty.
 
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