Deulofeu an early doubt for season opener

, 18 July, 48comments  |  Jump to most recent
Gerard Deulofeu is reportedly in a race to be fit for the new season after suffering a hamstring injury in training this week.

The Spaniard's injury is not thought to be severe enough to sideline him for any significant period of time but he will be assessed to see if he needs to be withheld from the game against Watford on 8th August.

Roberto Martinez appears confident that Deulofeu, who returned to Everton this summer on a permanent contract a year after his first loan spell from Barcelona ended, will be fit for the season opener.  



Reader Comments (48)

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Denis Richardson
1 Posted 22/07/2015 at 12:49:35
Deulofeu is set to miss the start of the season with a suspected hamstring injury.

So 2-3 minimum weeks for the injury to heal followed by another 2 weeks to get up to fitness. So he'll probably miss the first 3 games of the season.

Awesome news and great start to the season!

Yet another hamstring injury – we've had far too many of these for it to be just bad luck.

Duncan McDine
2 Posted 22/07/2015 at 13:09:51
That is indeed shite news about Deulofeu.

Hammys tend to happen to quick sprinters and if you compare our players to the ones we had 5 to 10 years back, I'd say we have an awful lot more quick sprinters now (which has coincided with a lot more hanstring injuries). So I'm not sure I share your thoughts, Denis.

Scott Bosworth
3 Posted 22/07/2015 at 17:00:10
Lovely start to the new season!
Mark Tanton
4 Posted 22/07/2015 at 17:05:01
We just don't do summers at Everton do we?
Paul Kossoff
5 Posted 22/07/2015 at 17:05:59
You just know this will be a month out at least, but we will find out in 48 hours... then 72 hours, then....?
Paul Mackie
6 Posted 22/07/2015 at 17:10:46
I was reading a piece on The Guardian site yesterday about Swansea's pre-season and it mentioned that they have a piece of equipment which measures the strength of a player's hamstring and then training can be tailored around those numbers. Sounds like we desperately need one of those machines at the club!
Bill Griffiths
7 Posted 22/07/2015 at 17:16:03
Hamstring injury, there's a surprise.
Alan Humphreys
8 Posted 22/07/2015 at 17:24:31
Paul (#4) sounds like we need the support staff and medics who actually thing of implementating the use of such equipment.

So many players with dodgy hamstrings at Finch Farm, we either need to re-think the training or ensure we have the right equipment and backroom staff to ensure the players are receiving the best. The cloud from the previous disappearance of the medical team still lingers.

Anthony Hawkins
10 Posted 22/07/2015 at 17:39:21
The number of hamstring injuries the players are having just doesn’t seem right. The coaching staff have GOT to be doing something wrong.

It doesn’t seem feasible that an increasing number of our players are incurring the same injury.

Sort it out coaches and physios.

Jim Hardin
11 Posted 22/07/2015 at 17:11:16
We seem to be on our way to becoming the new Arsenal regarding injuries and how long it takes to heal from them.
Brian Porter
12 Posted 22/07/2015 at 18:04:23
Hamstring? Another one?
Gerry Quinn
14 Posted 22/07/2015 at 18:13:30
Maybe the staff need to spend some money on getting hold of this report online...

OBJECTIVES:

To assess in a single team of Australian Rules football players the effect of a specific intervention program on the incidence and consequence of hamstring muscle strain injuries.

METHOD:

A prospective study was performed with a single team being followed for four playing seasons for hamstring injury. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to confirm the diagnosis of hamstring muscle injury. After two playing seasons an intervention program was implemented with the number of athletes with hamstring injury, competition days missed, and incidence of hamstring match injuries per 1000 h of playing time being compared pre- and post-intervention. The intervention program involved stretching whilst fatigued, sport specific training drills, and an emphasis on increasing the amount of high intensity anaerobic interval training.

RESULTS:

In the seasons prior to the intervention, nine and 11 athletes sustained hamstring injury compared to two and four following intervention. Competition days missed reduced from 31 and 38 to 5 and 16 following intervention and match incidence decreased from 4.7 to 1.3 per 1000 h of playing time. A beneficial effect was demonstrated with a smaller number of players having hamstring injuries (p = 0.05), a lower number of competition games missed being recorded (p < 0.001), and a decrease in hamstring strain incidence per 1000 h of playing time (p = 0.01) following the intervention program.CONCLUSIONS:

Increasing the amount of anaerobic interval training, stretching whilst the muscle is fatigued, and implementing sport specific training drills resulted in a significant reduction in the number and consequences of hamstring muscle strain injuries.

Liam Reilly
15 Posted 22/07/2015 at 18:31:00
The bigger blow is the preseason he’ll likely miss, as we know from experience that it’s near impossible to catch up.

Poor timing.

John Hughes
16 Posted 22/07/2015 at 18:40:23
Sorry Gerry (12) you lost me after the first sentence.
Dick Fearon
17 Posted 22/07/2015 at 18:29:12
Could this be related to the game in Singapore vs Arsenal.

With about 25 mins of the 1st half remaining Del boy very noticeably began clutching at his hammy and glancing toward the bench.
This was noticed and discussed by both TV commentators who like myself were clearly surprised he was not immediately subbed yet he struggled on the rest of the half.

Our medics and or Martinez either did not see the lads problem or deliberately chose to ignore it. In either case it was a stupid decision.
Mark Evans
18 Posted 22/07/2015 at 19:03:09
Here we go again. Hardly a ball kicked and we’re picking up injuries already. By the time the pre-season games are complete the physio’s are going to be working overtime. It can’t all be down to bad luck, particularly with so many hamstring injuries. Time for a crisis meeting with the medical staff.
Keith Harrison
19 Posted 22/07/2015 at 19:09:50
Gerry (12) - in essence you mean warming down properly can prevent the Hamstring injuries to a large extent.

Wow, feckin rocket science that mate, that even the biggest meathead at the gym understands. So why can our probably overpaid and definitely lacking in knowledge staff not work that one out??

Jim Jennings
20 Posted 22/07/2015 at 19:15:03
Dick #15

"Our medics and or Martinez either did not see the lads problem or deliberately chose to ignore it. In either case, it was a stupid decision."

A stupid decision that they did not see the problem? Did they decide not to see it?

Jim Bennings
21 Posted 22/07/2015 at 19:15:56
Deulofeu actually looked a bit out of condition in the games we have seen, basically a bit fat!!

Can we not just go out and buy Ospina in goal, and buy Lennon, Nolito and Charlie Austin while we are at it???

Oh forget it, I will wake up soon.

Ross Edwards
22 Posted 22/07/2015 at 19:23:02
Everton player in hamstring injury shocker... What a surprise. And water is wet.
Brent Stephens
23 Posted 22/07/2015 at 19:29:38
Keith #17 "in essence you mean warming down properly can prevent the Hamstring injuries to a large extent. Wow, feckin rocket science that mate."

I've only skimmed the full article but it doesn't sound like warm down but stretches during breaks in playing and training (etc).

Ian Glassey
24 Posted 22/07/2015 at 19:41:11
We won't see him near the first team till September, he was all ready a few weeks away from full fitness.
Brian Roberts
25 Posted 22/07/2015 at 19:43:47
A....effing typical...
Keith Harrison
26 Posted 22/07/2015 at 19:44:36
Brent, even at coaching kids we used to ensure they kept their muscles warm during breaks in play, especially at Rugby. That's why you see Rugby players on exercise bikes when they are off the field, so they don't go on 'cold', or allow their muscles to stiffen up during a break.

I just find it hard to believe that our (and other) clubs' staff don't appear to know this!

David Graves
28 Posted 22/07/2015 at 19:50:10
Interesting post Gerry and it's hardly just about stretching is it. The report highlights the impact that sport specific drills and interval training had on significantly reducing the number of hamstring injuries.
Peter Fearon
29 Posted 22/07/2015 at 19:56:57
I noticed he was having hamstring trouble on the sidelines at the match against Arsenal. I'm surprised he continued in the match as long as he did and even more surprised that he continued to train.
Brent Stephens
30 Posted 22/07/2015 at 20:17:08
Got ya, Keith.
Sharabi Singh
31 Posted 22/07/2015 at 21:01:48
Is it really just bad luck or something else more fundamental? This happens too much...
David Graves
32 Posted 22/07/2015 at 21:06:27
Sharabi, I think a combination of bad luck and poor conditioning. Hamstring injuries were the most common injury suffered by Premier League players last year (>60%) but Everton suffered the 3rd highest number of injuries in the league. So either it was a really unfortunate year or there are some major issues with the sports science support at the club.
Ray Roche
33 Posted 22/07/2015 at 22:16:41
Wasn't this discussed on TW some time ago when Martinez fell out with and then replaced the medical staff? And the training methods alluded to in Osman's book? Something at Finch Farm is piss poor.
Danny Broderick
34 Posted 22/07/2015 at 22:41:16
Did we get as many hamstring injuries at Bellefield? I don't think we did. Maybe the investigative journalists at the Echo - now that they are playing fair! - could look into this.
John Pickles
35 Posted 22/07/2015 at 22:47:09
Apparently the staff are on top of it now, they are going to keep the wet sponge on for a few seconds longer and give out extra orange segments at half time!
Ray Roche
36 Posted 22/07/2015 at 22:58:12
Here's one of the articles dealing with Everton's hamstring/fitness issues.
Dominic Tonge
37 Posted 23/07/2015 at 00:00:12
I already hate this season. And that’s before I am going to Elland Road and the return of a blue shirted Rooney.

Jesus, I was hoping it might get better after last season.

Andy Crooks
38 Posted 23/07/2015 at 00:16:25
Spot on Ray Roche. Even allowing for Everton luck, we have an appalling record of this type of injury.
Ernie Baywood
39 Posted 23/07/2015 at 00:40:57
Struggling to believe that we must have amateur physios and medical staff.

It's just dumb luck isn't it?

Dick Fearon
40 Posted 23/07/2015 at 00:33:23
Jim @ 20,

I accept words may have seemed to suggest Martinez or our medics deliberately allowed Del to exacerbate an injury. Dels reaction clearly showed he felt something go in the area of his right hammy. From that point, it affected him for the remainder of the half.

I could not fathom why he had not immediately been subbed. I could only conclude the injury had not been noticed by those responsible or it was thought not to be serious. It is a mystery to me plus other commentators that Martinez nor any of his assistants did not take action.

These days I am entirely dependent on TV for my viewing. In that regard I am fortunate to have live screening of any PL game that I fancy. During games, I see a huge amount of communication constantly occurring twixt most managers and their assistants... except that is between Martinez and his bench. He stands aloof from all potential advisors and I wonder if they are under orders not to interfere with his train of thought.

Harold Matthews
41 Posted 23/07/2015 at 01:49:12
Spot on Dick. He did it chasing a bad pass from Garbutt.
Philip Yensen
43 Posted 23/07/2015 at 11:41:06
My belief is that our beloved Blues have their own cure for the hamstring problems. It’s in Poundland... bungee cords! That would suit us to down to the ground.

Just a quick note. I’ve been watching rugby league through the summer, not a hamstring problem in sight. Going from standstill to full sprint more often than not with a player hanging onto his shorts, sometimes two. If someone can explain the difference, go for it.

Mark Andersson
44 Posted 23/07/2015 at 02:37:44
Nothing to do with bad luck, it’s bad management. Yes, more bad luck to come if you think otherwise.

Oh, how many games did Del miss through this kind of injury last season in Spain?

Barry Jones
45 Posted 23/07/2015 at 13:10:40
Dick, I recall him clutching his hamstring early in the Arsenal game. Good sense would have been to take him off immediately. Most coaches do that now even if it's a tiny tweak of the muscle, as a torn hamstring is notoriously slow to heal properly.
Finlay Robin
46 Posted 23/07/2015 at 13:17:28
Dick’s right. I can’t recall Martinez talking much to his bench during a game. I wonder what that’s all about?
Denis Richardson
47 Posted 23/07/2015 at 13:35:53
Here’s what I posted on another thread - anyone wanting to say it’s just bad luck naturally can have their own opinion.

Here’s a list of Everton players who’ve had an hamstring injury since Martinez & Co arrived;

Jagielka, Baines, Distin, Coleman, Pienaar, Mirallas, Naismith, Oviedo, Lukaku, McCarthy, Besic, Atsu, Deulofeu, Traore, McGeady, Garbutt.

Even Martinez himself said in January that he’d revamped the medical department after we’d had 20 (TWENTY!) hamstring injuries in just the first 18 months of his management. Obviously that has yet to happen since we’ve had at least half-a-dozen more since then.

There is something very suspicious with all these injuries given they are happening to almost every player we have and not concentrated to a few. Granted hammys normally happen to sprinter types but you can hardly describe Naismith or McCarthy as ’sprinters’!

Derek Thomas
48 Posted 23/07/2015 at 13:39:00
It's a worry to me, this whole regime is a worry.
Ray Roche
49 Posted 23/07/2015 at 16:01:18
Denis, if you've read the article in the link I posted earlier you'll see that the injury situation has deteriorated since Martinez and his medical wizards arrived.
Denis Richardson
50 Posted 23/07/2015 at 16:22:41
Ray 36 - that is indeed a really scary article. The lines below sum the whole thing up;

’A unifying theme throughout the season has been a consistent lack of fitness in the first-team squad and a major injury crisis, including a rise in soft-tissue injuries, which has deprived the team of key players for extended periods. As Bellew noted, in Bellow's time at Everton "they got virtually no soft tissue injuries during that time, which are the issues that you get when players are over or under-worked."

So Martinez only believes in doing fitness work that involves a ball -- which all the main Everton medical staff that were there before he came disagreed with, hence they are now gone... and we’ve had a shed load of injuries and an unfit squad since, with the manager bemoaning said injuries.

Unfortunately I’m not sure if there’s been any significant change here. If Martinez won’t even let the medical team and trainers condition the players properly, then we’re going to have the same issue as last season.

I still don’t know how this guy managed to talk himself into any kind of football managerial job. I expect the Finch Farm physio room to be working overtime again this season... we already have Baines, McCarthy, Besic, Oviedo and now Deulofeu injured.

Julian Wait
51 Posted 23/07/2015 at 16:49:35
Shucks - I was hoping to see him - will be there for my first game in five and a half years!!!
Danny Broderick
52 Posted 23/07/2015 at 18:47:32
Ray,

Thanks for that link. Very interesting.

I have been wondering if the training surfaces at Finch Farm contribute also. I know Arsenal have looked into something similar at their London Colney training ground.

It is true though that we were under-cooked in pre-season last year. I can possibly understand Martinez’s mindset, because we were facing games in the Europa League as well last year, so he maybe wanted to keep us as fresh as possible so that we didn’t tire later in the season. I also suspect that is why he kept chopping and changing the team so much. However, I never understood why Lukaku and Mirallas didn’t get a minute in pre-season. They were only bit-part players in a Belgian team that reached the quarter finals!

In any case, we don’t have any of that this time round, so there can’t be any excuses this time. Big season coming up...


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