Napoli’s muscle injury mystery: De Bruyne case sparks debate | OneFootball

Antonio Conte’s Napoli once again finds itself dealing with a crowded infirmary. After the very serious injury to Kevin De Bruyne, who will undergo surgery tomorrow in Belgium for a femoral biceps lesion, the issue of muscular fragility has forcefully returned to the center of the debate.

Napoli and the Mystery of Muscle Injuries: The De Bruyne Case Rekindles the Debate on the Causes

The list of unavailable players is long—too long for a team aiming for the top: from Lukaku to Lobotka, including Buongiorno, Rrahmani, and Hojlund, Napoli seems to be living under a sort of muscular curse.

La Gazzetta dello Sport, with Antonio Giordano, writes about it, highlighting how “from August until now, the infirmary has become a constant revolving door, a sequence of injuries and relapses that require a broader reflection on the causes.”

A list that gives pause: all the most recent cases

The latest alarm bell sounded with De Bruyne, but the problem is systemic.

Romelu Lukaku, among the first to be sidelined in the summer, suffered a muscle problem already in the early days of training camp.

Alessandro Buongiorno was stopped against Pisa, missing three consecutive matches (Milan, Sporting Lisbon, and Genoa) before returning only against Torino.

Stanislav Lobotka, the engine of the Azzurri midfield, has been out for weeks and has missed crucial commitments both in the league and in the Champions League.

Amir Rrahmani had to sit out nine matches after picking up a problem while on international duty.

Rasmus Hojlund, finally, missed three matches in a row as a precaution, with hopes of returning on Saturday against Como.

A complex picture that raises questions: why so many similar injuries? Is it a coincidence or a problem related to the management of physical workload?

Analysis: Between workloads, the calendar, and accumulated stress

According to several athletic trainers, the causes could be multifactorial. The increasingly packed schedule, with matches every three days and constant travel, directly impacts neuromuscular fatigue. Furthermore, the management of training loads in a team that changes formation and intensity like Conte’s Napoli can create imbalances.

Another hypothesis concerns the prevention and recovery phase, which is fundamental in a context where players must quickly move from one commitment to another. New training methodologies, based on GPS monitoring and biomechanical analysis, reduce the margin for error but do not completely eliminate the risk of overload.

Sarri: “In 2025, no one will get athletic preparation wrong”

Maurizio Sarri also weighed in on the issue, on the eve of the clash between his Lazio and Juventus. At the press conference, the former Napoli coach offered a significant reflection:

“People always tend to blame athletic preparation,” he stated. “But in 2025, no one will get preparation wrong anymore. Today, there is a precise science made up of nutrition, physiotherapy, and prevention. Injuries have a thousand different causes: from previous scars to trauma, from load errors to viral illnesses. It’s wrong to think that everything depends on training.”

This view is shared by many experts in the field, who say that muscle injuries often result from a combination of factors, rather than a single mistake.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.