Tony Mowbray puts Sunderland's injury problems down to the sheer pace of the modern game. The Black Cats have been hampered by a series of injuries over the course of the season, with Ross Stewart, Corry Evans, Elliot Embleton, Aji Alese, Dan Ballard, Lynden Gooch, and Jewison Bennette, all sidelined for long spells.
In the case of main striker Stewart, he has been fit for just 13 league games, while Embleton and Evans have missed around half the campaign. The Black Cats are by no means the only team to have struggled with a lengthy injury list this season but, as Mowbray points out, some clubs are better able to deal with such problems because they have a stronger squad or their injuries have not affected key players in the way that they have Sunderland.
More generally, injuries are more common these days than back in the 1980s when Mowbray began his playing career, when clubs often played the entire season using just 14 or 15 players rather than the 30-plus that is now the norm. Asked about the increased prevalance of injuries in the modern game, Mowbray said: "I think that's right. I don't think anyone can deny that.
