Pat Nevin reckons injuries took their toll on Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool
That is according to former player Pat Nevin.
Chelsea were stunned on Saturday as Crystal Palace earned their first win and scored their first goals of the season in a 2-1 win.
The Premier League champions were without Alvaro Morata, N'Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater were absent with muscle injuries.
And Victor Moses was forced off at Selhurst Park with a hamstring injury which has ruled him out for at least three weeks.
Other clubs like Arsenal also suffered as a result of being without Aaron Ramsey and Alexis Sanchez, who sustained injuries during the international break.
I suspect the international games had something to do with the weary looking performances for a few
Pat Nevin
While Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp substituted attackers Philippe Coutinho, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino against Manchester United after they had gruelling trips from Egypt and Brazil.
And Nevin believes the problems Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool had stemmed from tiredness.
He said in his weekly Chelsea blog: “I suspect the international games had something to do with the weary looking performances for a few.
“I have often explained that these internationals can be stressful enough, but when you add some extreme travelling and time-zone hopping on top, the effects are magnified substantially.
GETTY
Victor Moses goes down injured against Crystal Palace
“It was no great surprise to me when I heard that Arsene Wenger had left Alexis Sanchez out completely this weekend and Jurgen Klopp was substituting possible match-winners against Man United late on in their game on Saturday, because he feared they might pick up fatigue-induced injuries.
“Willian looked particularly drained this week, but two internationals for Brazil in South America clearly took its toll.
“Yes, we know there are private planes nowadays but with adrenalin flowing and not wanting to resort to pills or bottles of wine, there is absolutely no certainty that your body will allow you to sleep even if you want to and are physically tired to boot.
“The brain can steal those hours of recovery whether you like it or not as it replays the matches and worries about anything and everything it sees fit to.”
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