Expect injuries galore when PSL resumes — ex-SA fitness trainer

Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs can expect long-term injuries given the extraordinary circumstances of the Absa Premiership’s return to play and scramble to finish by August 31‚ former Bafana Bafana fitness trainer Joshua Smith says.

AmaZulu high performance manager Smith said from a fitness trainer’s perspective, an August 1 kickoff was preferable in terms of preparation‚ but the Catch-22 was that matches would come thick and fast out of a period of inactivity‚ resulting in fatigue and breakdowns.

The PSL and SA Football Association have continued to wrangle over a start date for the Premiership and GladAfrica Championship, to be completed in a bio-safe bubble‚ with Safa having set down August 1‚ after the PSL preferred July 18.

“Ja‚ I definitely see injuries coming.

“I spoke to a colleague and they foresee at least three long-term injuries because of coming out of such a long period [inactive]‚” Smith said yesterday.

“Normally we have an offseason for a player of four to five weeks‚ and then a preseason of six to seven weeks‚” Smith said.

“What we’ve got here is effectively an off-season of about 16 weeks‚ and a preseason where the league was initially supposed to start this past weekend‚ of two weeks‚ and now [with an August 1 start] four weeks.

“From that perspective, time to reduce the deconditioned effect players might have gone through is just not enough.

“So you’ve got a situation where you don’t have enough time to expose the players to progressive loading‚ and you also cannot expose them to the right type of loading [in friendlies].”

“It’s a very difficult situation and I would be surprised if any team were able to come back and perform at 100%.