All these stars are on the sidelines from the World Cup – EPN Urheilu’s expert watches the development with shock: “You have to do something”

The Women’s World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand in two and a half months, but it’s already clear that there are a lot of top players on the sidelines.

Almost everyone has the same reason for being absent: a knee injury.

Representing Chelsea and the England national team Fran Kirby said on Tuesday that his February knee injury requires surgery.

Kirby is already the third player in the England team who has to miss the World Cup due to a knee injury. Captain Leah Williamson injured his ACL two weeks ago, and Beth Mead has been sidelined since November for the same reason. Beth Mead won the European Championship scoring crown with six goals, but her recovery for the World Cup finals looks unlikely.

– We have to find out why these injuries happen all the time and why our best players get injured. It’s not just about England, it’s about the whole world, comments the head coach of the England women’s national football team Sarina Wiegman on the injury of Captain Williamson. (you switch to another service)

Many of the stars have also sought more detailed research information on why knee injuries are so common among women who play soccer. The Spaniard, who has just recovered to playing condition, was chosen as the world’s best player twice in a row Alexia Putellas demanded the improvement of conditions. (you switch to another service)

– It is clear that women’s bodies work differently than men’s. What I learned from this knee injury is that there are many reasons. It is important to improve conditions: rest, travel and game platforms. Of course, more research data is also needed, Putellas commented.

One of the critics of the game schedules and bad pitches is the Arsenal pilot Jonas Eidevall. The London team started as one of the big favorites for the Women’s Super League championship, but it has been plagued by numerous injuries. Vivianne Miedema, Beth Meah, Leah Williamson are all on the sidelines due to knee injuries, and were last taken off the field on Monday Laura Wienroither.

– We have to improve the conditions so that the players can stay fit, Eidevall thundered.

Last year, an estimated 57 top players in six of the world’s top women’s leagues were affected from knee anterior cruciate ligament injury. (you switch to another service) To an Exel table circulating online (you will switch to another service)has since the beginning of 2022 listed almost 120 women with knee injuries who play soccer at the top level.

According to research, knee injuries are six times more likely for women playing soccer than for male players. However, research information on the subject is limited, as the majority of sports and exercise studies have examined male athletes. According to Skysports, only studies focusing on female athletes (you will switch to another service) is approximately six percent of all.

Sports expert Jonne Kunnas has followed the development with shock.

– This in itself is not a new thing, but in recent years this has become even more concrete and injuries are occurring to an increasing extent. There has even been talk of an epidemic. Every week it feels like there are new players on the list, Kunnas begins.

Many reasons have been presented for the common knee injuries in women: in addition to the conditions and the amount of games, one reason has been given is the menstrual cycle – injuries are more common at a certain time of the cycle. On the other hand, those made from little ones you have received conflicting information from the studies (you switch to another service): some athletes’ performance is slightly lower at the beginning of the menstrual cycle, while others feel that their performance is at their peak then.

Read more: A surprising connection found between menstruation and knee injuries – monitoring the menstrual cycle is becoming a global sports trend, and Finland has been among the first to wake up to it

According to a British study, the reason may also be the wrong type of equipment. A researcher who is familiar with soccer shoes Katrine Okholm Krygerin female players playing in shoes designed for men have a higher risk of knee injuries, SVT reported on Wednesday. (you switch to another service)

In addition to research information, the municipality also needs action.

– You have to be able to do something about it. I think it’s really important to understand that women’s football is different from men’s. In recent years, the popularity of women’s football has been growing rapidly, and it seems that it has been thought that everything must be done the same way as on the men’s side, starting with the number of games, says Kunnas.

– Depending on the different studies, female players have up to 6-7 times the risk of ACL injuries. This is a wake-up call that the matter needs to be taken into account and measures taken. Of course, research information is also needed to understand the realities and build an operating environment that protects the players.

For example, Kunnas singles out England, where boys learn sportsmanship in academies at a young age. There are no similar environments for girls on the islands yet.

– They grow into sportsmanship right away, and it can protect boys’ careers for a long time, while for girls, the activities are not as high-quality, the conditions are not as good, and the coaching is not as good.

Some will recover to playing condition

Alexia Putellas is not the only star player who will fully recover for the summer World Cup. Club teammate of Putellas Lucy Bronze the knee was recently operated on, but Barcelona’s head coach Jonatan Giráldez according to the star defender will be sidelined for only a few weeks.

France’s star player Marie-Antoinette Katoto injured his knee in last summer’s European Championship and hasn’t played a single minute. France’s new head coach Herve Renard however, stated in March that he was hopeful about the rehabilitation of his star player.

Denmark’s controversial star player Nadia Nadim has been rehabilitating his knee since last September, and his return timetable is still uncertain. Chelsea’s Danish star Pernille Harder instead returned to the pitch after several months of injury in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona.

Jonne Kunnas believes that not all injuries have been seen yet.

– I believe that the package will perform even closer to the Games, as we saw last summer. For example, Putellas was injured just before the Games, Kunnas reminds.

In any case, everyone of the big early favorites already has question marks. Injuries have hit England the most.

– Almost all the early favorites have some absentees, but England has the most. England have relied on a consistent, consistent starting line-up. Now it will inevitably be renewed. How are the new players able to shoulder the responsibility? English was one of my absolute favorites, but now it raises questions, Kunnas says.

The World Cup in Australia and New Zealand from 20 July to 20 August 2023. will show all 64 matches on its channels. You can find the starting blocks of the World Cup in this story.