I think top flight football in the last 3 years, in the UK, has become stale, and too physical, you must be ultra fit, prone to injury, on the edge, where the lower leagues, and abroad just play a different game, that is more entertaining to watch, and due to less fitness in lower leagues, or the heat in European countries, they don't exert that same stress on themselves. So high profile players get injured more often, for fewer results.
Back in the day, half the players smoked, drank, turned up drunk (Georgie Best), ate what they liked, but now it's gym 24/7, get injured, out for weeks. So it isn't top flight, as your best players are out, and as the FA cup shows, often the 'top flight', are beaten by teams that don't adhere to the tight disipline, look how good Blackpool were at the start of the season for example.
I pulled my groin a while back, and it never recovers, could hardly walk, never mind run. I always refer to 'Break into a sweat running a bath, perish the thought of running a marathon'