In an interview published in the sports section of the daily newspaper Il Resto del Carlino, the director of the Isokinetic Education and Research Department, Francesco Della Villa, analyzed the rise in injuries in modern football, considering it partly unavoidable. According to Della Villa, the increase in matches and the growing intensity of play push athletes ‘to their extreme limits.’”
The fact that the game is played with high pressing, sudden accelerations, and an increasingly fast pace contributes to greater exposure to muscular risks. Today, a player can reach peak speeds of 35–36 km/h: at that speed, even with excellent conditioning, the risk of the human ‘machine’ breaking down increases.
Della Villa clarifies that it is not a matter of asking players to do more than they are capable of, but rather of managing prevention and recovery more effectively. The most affected muscle group is the flexors: today, roughly one injury out of four involves this area. They are followed by the rectus femoris, the adductors, and the calf, while ACL injuries are also on the rise.
An aggravating factor is the packed schedule: with matches every three days, the workload is enormous and recovery times are tight. The proposal is clear: having larger squads and applying squad rotation can help mitigate the risk.
Dr. Francesco Della Villa was interviewed by Massimo Vitali.
