Complex sentence: He missed pre-season fitness training due to the thigh tear suffered in the 2009 Champions League final, and this meant that despite featuring in almost as many matches as the previous season, he did so mostly as a substitute, starting only 20 games throughout.
Split into simpler sentences: He missed pre-season fitness training due to the thigh tear suffered in the 2009 Champions League final. Despite featuring in almost as many matches as the previous season, he did so mostly as a substitute, starting only 20 games throughout.