Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Cesar Peixoto has pushed back against suggestions that his training methods are to blame for the club's mounting injury list, arguing instead that the sheer physicality of Championship football is the chief culprit.
Speaking to BBC Radio WM, Peixoto was candid about his frustration but careful to draw a distinction between the types of injuries his squad has suffered. "Only three of the injuries we have had have been muscular injuries," he said. "It is not a pattern of injuries. It is not that we do bad work."
His comments follow a period in which Wolves have had to navigate a series of significant absences. The most high-profile is Raul Jimenez, the veteran Mexican striker who requires knee surgery and is not expected back until at least January. Peixoto has faced criticism in some quarters for fielding Jimenez in the League Cup before a high-profile Black Country derby, though the club has not directly addressed a causal link.
Also currently sidelined are Bertrand Traore (hamstring), Boubacar Traore (calf) and Nasser Djiga (groin). The sheer range of complaints across different areas of the body has, in Peixoto's view, made the rash of setbacks look worse on paper than any single systemic cause would warrant.
"There is more physical contact in the Championship," he said. "Trauma injuries are difficult to control. It is going to happen. It is unfortunate. Sometimes you can just be unlucky."
The press-release framing of "unfortunate" does some heavy lifting there, but the underlying point about the second tier's physicality is a reasonable one. Championship football is routinely described by players stepping down from the Premier League as a genuine shock in terms of tempo and contact, and trauma injuries from challenges or aerial duels are, by definition, harder to engineer out through periodisation or squad rotation.
One injury Wolves can lay firmly at no one within the club's door is the foot problem that kept Wales midfielder Jordan James out of action on international duty. James has been one of Wolves' more influential performers since arriving in August, scoring what looked like the winner against Portsmouth before a late equaliser denied them, and then starting the 1-0 home victory over Watford last Saturday. His expected return for the visit of Cardiff City to Molineux will be a considerable boost.
Rodrigo Gomes is also back available after four games out with an ankle injury, giving Peixoto slightly more to work with in the coming weeks.
Despite the injury disruption, Wolves' league form has remained resilient. The club has lost only three of its first 12 Championship matches, a record that suggests the squad depth is holding up even if the treatment room is busier than Peixoto would like.
The next test comes in the form of Cardiff City at Molineux. Peixoto flagged the Welsh club specifically, noting the manner in which they turned over Birmingham City last week as reason for caution. With James fit and Gomes returning, Wolves go into that fixture in better shape than they might have expected a fortnight ago, even if the broader injury picture remains a concern the management will need to monitor closely as the season deepens.
Whether the physicality argument fully satisfies those who questioned the club's squad management decisions earlier in the campaign is another matter. For now, Peixoto's message is clear: the training ground is not the problem, and Wolves intend to keep grinding out results regardless.
Frequently asked
- How many injuries have Wolves had this season?
- Wolves have had a significant number of injuries during the season, with head coach Cesar Peixoto noting that only three have been muscular in nature. Current absentees include Raul Jimenez (knee), Bertrand Traore (hamstring), Boubacar Traore (calf) and Nasser Djiga (groin).
- When will Raul Jimenez be back for Wolves?
- Raul Jimenez is not expected to return until at least January after undergoing knee surgery.
- Is Jordan James fit to play for Wolves?
- Yes, Jordan James is expected to be available for Wolves' home fixture against Cardiff City after recovering from a foot injury sustained on international duty with Wales.