I think footballers aren't made of what they used to be. Owen did an interview with Simon Jordan, got ridiculed for his Apple in the bin part, which was quite funny watching it back. However, he said something that in his way didn't sound quite right but the underlying sentiment isn't probably far off. He said you don't need to be good anymore to be a premiership player, you just need to be able to be an athlete. I do think you need the skills and ability but I do think there's some truth in that footballers are designed from an early age to be as fit as you possibly can be and the fitness and conditioning work they do is not built from making them durable.
These days, they have the thinnest socks and boots you'd find and they wonder how many people break toes, etc. But they want them to 'feel' the football like its an extension of your foot. Its the way the game has evolved that makes it this way now. Not sure it'll turn the other way as its more entertainment than pure football these days.
Money will play its part too. If you earn an absolutely ridiculous amount, which they all do at that level, the back of their head will sometimes say don't push it, gotta be 100% fit otherwise kiss goodbye to a career of that money that won't last forever.
Injuries have killed us yet again. Its unbelievable that somehow we've been inconsistently crap but only 2 points off teh playoffs still. Quality is not there this year in the Championship.