No Rooney, no Torres, no Gerrard.. it’s going to be tough for the big boys in the Premier League
wayne rooney is out of man utd's clash with bolton this weekend
After two weeks of international matches, we are back to domestic bliss this weekend, and there is an interesting pattern emerging in the English Premier League.
While much has been said about the big gap between the top teams and the rest, the two groups may be brought that little bit closer this weekend.
Because, while the majority of the squads of the likes of Bolton, Birmingham and Sunderland have enjoyed a break from the energy-sapping football merry-go-round, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea’s players have been schlepping themselves around Europe and the World playing for their countries.
And there have been casualties.
None more so than at Liverpool, who are rightly furious that Steven Gerrard was forced to play in the Ukraine in a hostile match despite carrying a niggling injury. His injury has got worse and he has already been ruled out of Liverpool’s tough trip to Sunderland. And it gets worse for them as Greek international Sotiris Kyrgiakos has picked up an injury that looks like keeping him out for a while, while Dirk Kuyt (The Netherlands), Fernando Torres (Spain) and Andriy Voronin (Ukraine) are also suffering and unlikely to play. Add to that the concerns of fatigue for the Reds’ South American players – particularly Javier Mascherano who had to go a rigorous week of qualifying for Argentina – and it is looking bleak for Liverpool.
That’s not the end of it for the top four, either.
Man Utd, who have had a stuttering start to the season by their standards, must do without Wayne Rooney this weekend, who has been by far their most influential player this term. He has also been ever-present, so it will be interesting to see how United fare without him.
Birmingham’s new owner Carson Yeung announced his ownership this week, which may have an effect on Arsenal’s game
Arsenal have fared slightly better, but they will be without Eduardo – their Brazilian.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have to be careful because a transfer ban would make an injury to a key player absolutely devastating. Which makes the ferocious tackle that Yury Zhirkov meted out on his Chelsea team-mate Michael Ballack in Germany vital tie against Russia all the more reckless and, quite frankly, stupid.
I bet Zhirkov got a real rollicking when he got back to Stamford Bridge.
All this means that it is worth being very careful before expecting the smaller clubs to roll over and die this weekend. They will scent blood – and one or more could pull off a real coup.
