Importance Of Medical Departments And Physical Conditioning

18 October 2026

By M J Kocx

Footballers, like all sportspersons, are prone to wear and tear. 

To illness and injury.

However, have football clubs failed to adequately address players’ medical and physical conditioning, as the football calendar becomes increasingly congested? 

In a congested calendar, are players and managers equipped to go out and perform on the pitch every matchday fixture?

Let us consider several clubs in the English Premier League (EPL) to illustrate this challenge.

For the 2025/26 season until 21 January 2026, several EPL clubs lost hundreds of days having players fit for selection. 

Newcastle United F.C. 	
Days Lost: 640
Total Injuries: 17 

Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 	
Days Lost: 625
Total Injuries: 19

Chelsea F.C. 
Days Lost: 580
Total Injuries: 19

Source: BBC Sport 

There were some anomalies in the 2025/26 EPL season. 

Wolverhampton Wanderers, who were relegated to the English Football League (EFL) Championship only lost 380 days and sustained 14 injuries. 

West Ham United, who were also relegated from the EPL to the EFL, only lost 302 days and sustained 12 injuries. 

What impact do injuries have upon the success of a football club?

Did Newcastle, Tottenham, and Chelsea simply just not have adequate preseasons compared to Wolverhampton and West Ham?

Importance of Squad Depth 
It is critical that football clubs monitor the fitness and depth of their playing squads. 

To some extent, player injuries are unavoidable.

To some extent, they are avoidable.  

A robust strategy implemented by the football club executive team, in consultation with the medical department, should ensure player injuries are limited as much as possible. 


Strength and Conditioning 
As the international football calendar becomes increasingly overlapping and congested, football clubs will need to be smarter.

Strength and conditioning will be paramount. 

Players will need to either have the strength and conditioning to handle the rigours of up to 3-4 matchdays per week, or, football clubs will need sufficient squad depth. 

Football clubs should be investing significantly into sports science, recovery data, nutrition, and player biomechanics. 

No one footballer is the same as another. Just as no one human is the same as another human. 

Football clubs who possess the technical acumen to analyse in real-time the fitness, durability, and recovery of their playing squads will be pioneers. 

In the long-term, they will be best positioned to deal with a congested international football calendar. 


Building Styles of Play with Lower Risks of Injury, Yet Securing Points 
Football clubs should be investigating sustainable styles of play. 

Formations which carry with them lower risks of player injuries. 

Winning points and fixtures on a regular basis is great. But, what if a great start to a season is unsustainable. 

What if a high octane style of play leads to extended periods on the injury list for talisman players? 

How successful a football club is in keeping its playing squad fit and healthy will inevitably determine its finishing position on the league table. 


Recovery Is An Ongoing Process 
A term used in sports is active recovery.

In an increasingly congested international football calendar, it is now ever important. 

A sustainable football club is constantly planning for the next 2, 5, 10 fixtures. 

Planning during the offseason is vital. 

Football clubs should undertake meaningful reviews of the season’s fixture, and map out squad availability accordingly. 

All before the first ball is kicked in pre-season training.


From

Yours truly,