Roy Hodgson reveals who he blames for Arsenal and Liverpool injury crisis

Hodgson believes that modern proto-artifical pitches may be to blame

ROY HODGSON believes he has found the answer to the Liverpool and Arsenal injury crises that have left him without 15 players for friendlies against Spain and France.

 

England finished off their perfect qualifying campaign with a 3-0 in Lithuania, and now face a number of Europe’s top sides in an effort to prepare for next year’s Euro 2016.

The England manager claims modern playing surfaces are actually causing more rather than fewer players to get injured.

“I honestly believe the pitches, strangely enough, in getting so much better in some cases have provoked more injuries because this surface now which is mixed a little bit with the artificial to keep the roots tighter,” Hodgson said.

 

“I think people slide a little bit more and maybe it does provoke [more injuries].

“I have heard that put forward and it happened to me at Blackburn.

“We had the Desso pitches put down and we had all these Gilmore’s Groin injuries and we couldn’t understand it.

 

Theo Walcott is one of a number of Arsenal and England players out with injury

“We looked at everything we were doing technically, tactically, warm ups etc and we couldn’t come to terms with it.

“Maybe it’s the fact that the pitches in being so good they are forcing people to slide and stretch a bit more, that’s a possibility. 

“I really don’t know (for sure). It’s a difficult one.”

Hodgson is by no means the first to attempt to solve the injury conundrum.

 

Arsenal, where injured England trio Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ply their trade, seem to have perennial injury problems, have been criticised for anything from their medical staff to their training methods.

And while the England boss does not claim to have all the answers, but will certainly be hoping a similar bout of injury does not striker closer to next summer.

“Let’s hope they can find the solution because it is a bit frustrating,” Hodgson added.

“It would have been nice in this month to have had a harder selection problem than I eventually ended up having and really bringing in some people who might not have got a look in otherwise.”