Heading limit is tough sell in this results business

EVIDENCE of the link between heading and dementia continues to pile up. This is why English clubs have been asked to limit so-called ‘high force’ headers to 10 per week during training. But to imagine this actually happening is fanciful. In the Premier League this weekend, big goals were scored with the head by teams such as Aston Villa — at Manchester United — and at Brentford, by both the home team and visitors Liverpool. Some clubs employ specific set-piece coaches to try to achieve this; Villa even have a throw-in coach. Heading remains fundamental to the professional game. Until this changes, either by the laws or via some dramatic and unlikely shift in football culture, coaches like Tottenham’s Nuno Espirito Santo (right) will continue to monitor only very loosely how often players practise this part of the game on a daily basis. So far, clubs have been asked rather politely to follow ‘guidance’ on this issue. Meanwhile, coaches and managers remain under pressure to get results. Pressure wins every time.