Former AC Milan team doctor Gianluca Melegati must be finding it tough watching on as the current side endure injury crisis after injury crisis, and he has provided his thoughts on the current struggles.
With the latest injury to Malick Thiaw, Milan have racked up 25 injuries for the season the vast majority of them are muscular (18). It is a topic that the club are analysing very seriously in this period, also because in practical terms it results in a lack of depth which reduces the ability to rotate and costs points down the line.
Adding up the matches which players have missed (including Champions League matches) we arrive at to the gigantic number of 89 games missed in just three months of the season. It has made Stefano Pioli’s job a lot harder in an already difficult moment.
Melegati was interviewed by Corriere della Sera and he spoke about the many injuries in football today in general, which of course can be applied to Milan.
“The problem is muscle injuries, all high-level teams that play a high number of matches suffer from them, but there is an explanation: speed, pressing and sprinting have increased in the short term. The stresses have increased,” he said (via MilanNews).
Melegati also explains what the possible solutions could be, given that these are unprecedented times that medical staffs are facing.
“We need to reach a point of balance between the workloads on the pitch and those in the gym. Milan? I know Doctor Mazzoni, I know that he is very attentive to the prevention and management of recovery time.
“But the the fault lies either with the medical area or the technical area. Rest becomes crucial; if you are poorly hydrated or have few hours of sleep under your belt, the risk of getting injured increases.”
