Footballers may not be playing more games, but their time on the pitch has become far more demanding.

The sports economists Stefan Szymanski and Guy Wilkinson tested the notion (note: “leading players are playing too many games”) against evidence. They studied rest days per player and team, and distance travelled to away games in the Premier League over 21 seasons from 1992-1993 to 2012-2013.

If there is a link between demands on players and performance, what matters is not how much a team plays. It is how it plays.

“It is about the quality on show. When I am not tired I perform better.”

Link to the article (May 2025) in the Financial Times: https://on.ft.com/43xTNCg

Since the 2006 benchmark season, the number of sprints performed by players has increased by no less than eighty (!) percent. The likelihood of injuries has, of course, also risen accordingly. Statistics agency Opta previously calculated that English teams — those playing with the highest intensity — faced the greatest risk of ending up with a full injury list.

The attention in the Dutch media (ESPN) in October 2025: https://www.espn.nl/voetbal/artikel/_/id/15804020/onderzoek-wijst-uit-overbelasting-komt-niet-door-meer-wedstrijden-maar-door-meer-sprints

Analyst Bram van Polen keeps player sprints track in his log:
https://www.espn.nl/video/clip/_/id/15783655

Including the link to The Analyst article (Feb 2025): “Sprints, Pressing and Hamstring Strains: Is Ange Postecoglou to Blame for Spurs’ Injury Crisis?”

https://theanalyst.com/articles/spurs-injury-crisis-ange-postecoglou-sprints-pressing-running-stats