There were a lot of injuries to key players in the first round of ISL 7.
The aftereffects of an improper pre-season are evident in how the teams have gone about their business on the field after the first round of matches in the Indian Super League (ISL) this season.
As the season enters into Round 2, injuries and fitness issues have hogged the limelight for a lot of clubs.
After several months without football and on-field training due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown, the ISL clubs set up camp in Goa to train a month before the season opener on November 20.
The foreign players came in batches and that meant none of the head coaches were able to train with a full-strength squad for at least a month.
Not going through a proper pre-season can be detrimental’s to a team’s progress. Moreover, the players will take time to reach full match fitness and are more likely to pick up niggles along the way.
Improper pre-season is only one of many reasons for players to pick up injuries. Even otherwise, the teams have had to deal with injury blows to tackles and bad landings.