How Arne Slot's hire can help Liverpool players thrive this season after SHOCKING report by FIFPRO | OneFootball

Professional footballers such as the elite stars at Liverpool are being pushed “beyond their limits”, according to a global trade union for players.

FIFPRO's Player Workload Monitoring Report revealed that more than half of the 1,500 players tracked last season were subjected to an “excessive workload”, with nearly a third involved in over 55 games during the 2023/24 campaign.

The Argentina and former Manchester City striker Julián Álvarez made 75 appearances for club and country during a gruelling 14-month stretch that ended with the Copa America and the Olympics.

Liverpool's South American duo, Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez, registered similar figures.

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How Slot's staff can help Liverpool players

The FIFPRO report shows how excessive scheduling can negatively impact players’ performance, recovery, and overall health, risking long-term damage to their careers. The findings warn of an unsustainable burden, focusing on things such as excessive workload, congested fixture lists and risks to young players.

In recent seasons, Liverpool have been plagued with injuries, seriously hindering the team's consistency,

When Arne Slot became the new head coach at Anfield, it led to the appointment of Ruben Peeters as the club's head of physical performance and he is set to play a crucial role in the backroom staff.

Peeters, a specialist in sports sciences, is renowned for his expertise in periodisation—a method that carefully manages training loads to prevent injuries.

During his tenure at Feyenoord, Peeters’ strategies were instrumental in maintaining player availability levels above 90 per cent.

A report by The Athletic stated: “For three seasons, the Rotterdam side’s player availability levels were above 90 per cent, and Slot played a key role in that by listening carefully to the experts who made up one of the most successful medical and performance departments in world football.”

Liverpool’s 2023/24 season was blighted by injuries, with 21 different players sidelined, as reported by premierinjuries.com.

This issue was highlighted in February when key players such as Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Nunez, and Mohamed Salah were simultaneously unavailable.

Despite these setbacks, Liverpool managed to secure the Carabao Cup but were left to wonder whether a fully fit squad could have won more trophies in Jurgen Klopp's final season.

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