The games are coming thick and fast and, just like club managers up and down the country, Gareth Southgate will be watching the coming months unfold nervously with the health and fitness of his players in mind.
With less than a year to go to the World Cup, Southgate is facing burnout and fitness fears over some of his England stars.
The Three Lions’ last get-together was disrupted by so many dropouts due to knocks, niggles and bouts of illness that England could only name eight subs, including two goalkeepers, against San Marino rather than the maximum 12.
England boss Gareth Southgate is facing burnout and fitness fears over his England stars
Chelsea's Ben Chilwell has suffered a knee injury which could rule him out for the season
Since then and returning to club duty Chelsea left back Ben Chilwell has suffered a serious knee injury which, if surgery is required in the New Year, will rule him out for the rest of the season.
Arsenal’s heavily-used Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe have also been among the players across the Premier League to succumb to injuries in the last fortnight too.
And that is before the season really starts to go into overdrive with the upcoming hectic festive period.
Some of England’s players are understood to be privately concerned about their workloads with what is to come in 12 months, making their situations ones to watch carefully for their managers.
Knowing their bodies, the worry is that if their game time is not carefully managed, injury is eventually almost inevitable, even if trauma or impact blows like Chilwell’s cannot be predicted.
The concerns, for those who harbour them, come with good reason.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe have succumbed to injuries in the last fortnight
England captain Harry Kane and fellow squad regulars Harry Maguire, Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips, Conor Coady and Saka are among the five most used players by their Premier League clubs this season.
New boy Emile Smith Rowe is also in that group and has racked up the most minutes at Arsenal and Conor Gallagher is in Crystal Palace’ top five too.
Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham and West Brom’s Sam Johnstone have all played even more club football than their Premier League-based counterparts while, in England’s top flight, only Rice (1679 minutes) and Kane (1615) have played more than Tammy Abraham (1581) has for Roma.
Potential hopefuls Ben White, Ezri Konsa, Matt Targett, Marc Guehi, Tyrick Mitchell, Michael Keane, Oliver Skipp, Aaron Creswell, Jarrod Bowen and Max Kilman also make their clubs’ top five most-used along with goalkeepers Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope.
They have all clocked up at least 1170 minutes for their clubs this season.
Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham has played more club football than Premier League stars
Of the 27 players in Southgate’s plans for the most recent double header against Albania and San Marino only John Stones (661) and Marcus Rashford (565) have yet to break the 1000 minutes barrier.
Among Southgate’s options are some players who might be considered old school in their attitudes – ones who hate missing games, will always make themselves available and even defy injury to play.
But just as valid are the concerns of those who are worried about being run into the ground.
Some leave no stone unturned to limit the damage caused by the demands of playing for club and country with the way they lead their lives off the pitch.
There are concerns of English players being run into the ground ahead of the 2022 World Cup
Personal fitness coaches to help with their recovery and chefs to provide ideal nutrition are well used by England’s players.
One player turned down a lucrative commercial opportunity so he could squeeze in a physio appointment instead in order to maintain his condition following a gruelling recent accumulation of minutes.
Somehow, a balance needs to be found.
Colin Lewin, director/physiotherapist at the Lewin Sports
