You’ve probably seen the highlights. A star winger goes down, clutches the back of his thigh, and the camera zooms in on the manager's face—which usually looks like he just saw his car get towed. It’s the same old story, right? Well, not exactly. This 2025/26 season has turned into a bit of a medical nightmare for some of the biggest clubs in the world.
The phrase injuries English Premier League used to just mean a few guys out with "knocks" in December. Now, it's January 2026, and we're looking at a landscape where some teams are basically playing their Under-21s just to fill the bench.
Honestly, it's getting a bit ridiculous. Take Manchester City. They’ve been hit with over 20 separate injury incidents since the season kicked off in August. Pep Guardiola has had to navigate stretches without Ruben Dias and John Stones, and we’ve seen Josko Gvardiol sidelined with a serious tibia issue that’s keeping him out until the summer. When your "rotation" players are also in the treatment room, that’s when the wheels start to wobble.
Why Everyone is Falling Apart Right Now
It’s not just bad luck. There’s a massive conversation happening behind the scenes about the "supersized" schedule.
Between the expanded Champions League and the 32-team Club World Cup that Chelsea had to suffer through, players are basically being treated like high-performance cars that never get an oil change. Chelsea saw a 44% spike in injuries after that tournament. You can't just keep asking these guys to sprint 10 kilometers every three days and expect their hamstrings to stay attached.
- Hamstrings are the enemy: These make up the bulk of "time-loss" injuries.
- The ACL "Epidemic": We’ve seen a terrifying number of cruciate ligament tears this season. James Maddison, Levi Colwill, and Fabio Carvalho are all facing months—or even the rest of the season—on the sidelines.
- Travel Fatigue: It’s not just the 90 minutes on the pitch; it’s the flights to international duty and back.
Speaking of Chelsea, they've been through it. Romeo Lavia is still struggling to put a run of games together, and Levi Colwill’s ACL tear was a massive blow to Maresca’s defensive structure. Even the "healthier" teams are feeling the heat. Arsenal, who looked robust for a while, had a scare with Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli.
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The Numbers Nobody is Talking About
If you look at the total days lost to injury, the stats are staggering. Tottenham Hotspur have lost over 500 days of player availability this season alone.
Think about that.
That is more than a year of "player-time" just gone. James Maddison's pre-season injury set the tone, and it hasn't really let up. Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke have both had long spells out, which explains why Spurs have looked a bit toothless at times.
Sunderland, surprisingly, are right up there too, losing over 450 days. It's tough when you're the new kids on the block and your best players are sitting in the stands wearing designer tracksuits instead of being on the pitch.
Are Some Teams Just "Lucky"?
Is "luck" even the right word? Probably not. It’s more about load management.
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Manchester United, funnily enough, have been one of the most durable teams this year under Ruben Amorim. They’ve had fewer than 10 major injury incidents. Compare that to Man City’s 21. It’s a complete reversal of what we saw a couple of years ago. Whether it's Amorim’s training methods or just a statistical anomaly, it’s keeping them in the hunt.
Liverpool have also been relatively smart. Arne Slot has leaned heavily on rotation, though they haven't been totally immune. Losing Conor Bradley to a significant knee injury was a gut punch, and Alexander Isak's broken leg—yeah, you heard that right—has been a disaster for anyone who had him in their Fantasy Premier League team.
What’s the Fix?
The league did try to help. They tweaked the festive schedule so no club had to play twice within 60 hours during the December-January rush. It’s a start, but is it enough? Most experts say no.
Maheta Molango from the PFA has been pretty vocal, basically saying we’re pushing these players to a breaking point. When you see a guy like Rodrigo Bentancur or Mohammed Kudus go down with yet another hamstring issue, you start to realize that the human body has limits, even if the TV contracts don't.
The Reality of the "Injury Table"
The injuries English Premier League fans track religiously on sites like PhysioRoom are more than just red crosses next to names. They dictate the title race.
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- Arsenal’s Depth: They’ve managed to stay top because their "B-team" is actually quite good.
- City’s Vulnerability: Without Rodri and their main center-halves, they’ve dropped points in games they’d usually win in their sleep.
- The Relegation Scrap: For teams like Burnley or Everton, losing one key defender like Jarrad Branthwaite for a month can be the difference between staying up and going down.
It’s a brutal cycle. Players get injured, the remaining squad plays more minutes to cover for them, they get tired, and then they get injured. It’s a "cascade failure," and we're seeing it happen in real-time this winter.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re following the league closely, keep an eye on the "Return Dates." Don't just look at who is out; look at who is coming back. A team like Arsenal getting Odegaard and Havertz back at the same time is basically like signing two new players in the January window.
For the average fan or FPL manager, the smartest move is to focus on teams with high rotation. Look at the squads that aren't playing in Europe; they have more recovery time and generally lower injury rates. It’s not flashy, but it’s how you win.
Check the official club medical updates on Friday mornings before the weekend fixtures. Managers are notoriously vague ("he's a doubt" usually means "he's definitely out"), so look for footage of players actually training with the main group. That’s the only real proof you can trust.
Ultimately, the 2025/26 season will be remembered as much for who was in the dugout as who was in the doctor’s office. The "best" team might just be the one that’s left standing in May.
To stay ahead of these shifts, monitor the "Days Lost" metrics for your favorite club to see if their medical department is actually managing the load or just reacting to a crisis.