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Analysis

Premier League injuries: Newcastle, Brentford, Brighton, Sheffield United, Chelsea and Man Utd suffered most

Newcastle, Brentford and Brighton lost most days from injuries this season; Magpies' squad depth also tested most with highest number of individual injuries

Premier League Fixtures 2023/24

Newcastle, Brentford and Brighton have suffered from injuries more than any other Premier League club this season.

The Magpies have lost a whopping 892 days due to injuries since the season kicked off on August 11, according to Premier Injuries data.

Injury-stricken Brentford are second on the crocked list with 873 days lost, followed by Brighton (772), Sheffield United (754), Chelsea (730), Manchester United (710) and Tottenham (625).

Newcastle United's Joelinton receives treatment for an injury
Image: Newcastle United's Joelinton receives treatment for a thigh injury

At the other end of the scale, West Ham have lost only 200 days so far - which is nearly a fifth of Newcastle's crippling tally.

Wolves (290), Bournemouth (362), Everton (380) and Manchester City (445) have also experienced comparatively quiet treatment tables.

All data correct as of January 8, 2024

What about sheer number of injuries?

Newcastle's injury crisis is compounded by scale - in addition to duration - having also suffered a league-topping 24 separate injuries.

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Harvey Barnes has now missed more than 100 days of the camapign with a toe injury, Sven Botman was sidelined for more than 80 days with a knee injury and goalkeeper Nick Pope is expected to be out of action until at least April after dislocating his shoulder.

Jacob Murphy, Elliot Anderson, Matt Targett and Joe Willock have also been out of action for long periods, while key players Callum Wilson and Joelinton have missed notable game time due to injuries.

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Brighton and Manchester United have suffered in almost equal measure as Newcastle with 23 injuries each, while Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Spurs have also registered 20 or more lay-offs this term.

As was the case with days lost, West Ham have suffered least with merely 10 injuries during the campaign, while Wolves (11) and Bournemouth (12) have also been among the most injury-free clubs to date.

What's the injury and suspension status now?

Factoring current injuries and suspensions right now, Chelsea and Tottenham have a league-high 12 players sidelined, followed by Brentford (11), Manchester United, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest (10 each).

Meanwhile, Burnley, Fulham and Luton sit at the more fortunate end of the current table with only five players on the treatment table.

What's causing the injuries?

Is there a correlation between workloads and the rising trend for intense playing styles?

Well, Manchester City have played a table-topping 31 games across all competitions, ahead of Aston Villa, Newcastle, West Ham, Liverpool and Arsenal.

However, of those clubs, only Newcastle have been notably affected by injuries - suggesting workload does not appear to be linked with the number of injuries suffered.

Fighting on four fronts

Eddie Howe's depleted side have slipped to ninth in the Premier League table and played six tough group games in the Champions League, reached the Carabao Cup quarter-finals and progressed to the FA Cup fourth round after a 3-0 win over rivals Sunderland on Saturday.

In terms of intensity, sprints have been on the rise since tracking data is available with sprints per game rising incrementally season on season from 127 to 137 per game - with that overall rise equating to an eight-per-cent increase.

So, are clubs suffering more injuries than usual this term? The forecasts below suggest no. Current trajectories project teams will collectively lose 21,103 days through injuries this term, which is fewer than last term - but notably higher than in 2020/21 and 2021/22.

How have clubs reacted to injuries?

Have clubs been forced to dive deep into their squads and rotate to manage injuries?

The table below shows the total number of players used by each team and appears to correlate fairly consistently with the clubs most affected by injuries.

Newcastle, Manchester United and Sheffield United have been affected heavily by injuries and also used the most players, with the Magpies deploying a table-topping 30 players in the Premier League this season.

Conversely, West Ham and Wolves have been among the least-affected clubs for injuries, which has contributed to those teams using a league-low 23 players - along with Arsenal, Liverpool and Luton.

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