I was really looking forward to watching Leicester City play again after a wonderful performance from a depleted FA Cup team, just in time for another word that their third straight Premier League game had been postponed.
This time is a little different because it wasn’t requested by us, however the little squad may still be grateful.
Brendan Rodgers revealed in his pre-match news conference that Patson Daka, Kieran Dewsbury-Hall, Caglar Soyuncu, and Luke Thomas were all fit to return, bringing us up to ten healthy outfield players.
More than that, it provides us with two fit CBs, one fit LB, and a striker, however maybe the most interesting return is one that is not attached to a certain position.
James Justin has returned! He hasn’t started a game yet, but he’s back and would have made the bench.
Of course, the injury list is lengthy…
Timothy Castagne was forced to withdraw from the Watford encounter due to a muscular issue.
Jamie Vardy – hurt his hamstring against Liverpool, then played through it. It’s possible that we’ll be gone till March.
Jonny Evans has had another thigh injury, this time in April. Both may be suffering from the effects of ageing.
Ricardo Pereira – it’s hard to think that a fractured leg could be good news, but he may be back in February.
Ryan Bertrand was forced to leave the Manchester City warm-up due to a knee injury. It’s possible that I’ll return this month.
Wesley Fofana – was supposed to return early this year, but there have been indications of a delay…
Boubakary Soumare is out due to sickness and would have missed this game as well, so it’s not a trivial loss.
Then there are the four now playing in the AFCON, however we don’t want to see them return before the tournament is complete, and the club can hardly be blamed for their absence.
One of the most intriguing aspects of this is the issue of blame. Of course, injuries occur, but how many and how frequently? It’s difficult to accept, especially after having gone several years without any big absences.
Little Wes’ injury was certainly unlucky. The same might be said for James Justin, Ricardo, and maybe Bertrand, though we didn’t see that one.
All of the soft tissue injuries are a source of concern for me. Nobody can truly prevent players from being hurt, but clubs can do the greatest to limit the danger of muscular problems. We did an amazing job doing it for many years, but those days appear to be long gone.
