Chelsea
Two England Captains could take to the field of LA Galaxy’s Home Depot centre on Saturday, each suffering with their own injury problems.
John Terry broke a toe in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over the Suwon Bluewings. However, scans have since shown that it was merely a hairline fracture. He took a full part in training yesterday and is almost certain to face the Americans.
David Beckham’s battle with his ever-expanding ankle is well documented. Galaxy General Manager and former professional scarecrow impersonator Alexei Lalas attempts to bring us the latest:
There is a possibility that he is going to play and if there was no possibility that he wasn’t then we would just tell you that. I think it’s pretty clear.
It might be just me, but I think there are so many ifs and buts and double negatives in there that I think it is fairly conclusively not “pretty clear”.
Good old Alexei. Always keeps us guessing.
Since his move to LA Galaxy, David Beckham has claimed that the long-distance flights involved will not have an adverse effect on his career. Yesterday, his manager Frank Yallop disagreed:
It was a long flight and it swelled up pretty bad and today he was not as comfortable as he should have been.
This puts his expected debut against Chelsea on Saturday in jeopardy. Of course, seeing as it’s just a friendly, any other player would be rested. However, the financial investment that the Galaxy have placed in him sugests that Beckham will be playing with crutches if need be.
In the first full weekend of pre-season, two top Premiership sides suffered significant injury scares.
In Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over north London rivals Barnet, Jason Puncheon’s late tackle on Denilson led to the 19-year-old being stretched off with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. However, scans revealed that Denilson should be able to return to training in “a few days”.
Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Mexican outfit Club America was notable for the absence of not just Ashley Cole but also Wayne Bridge, who will miss up to three months with a fractured pelvis. It’s a good job Chelsea moved to sign Tal Ben Haim as back-up - in Cole and Bridge they have two players about as likely to get injured as a man running over a black cat which is standing under a ladder.
There was better news for fans of West Ham, who witnessed the return of Dean Ashton after twelve months out with a broken ankle. The powerful forward played 45 minutes of the friendly victory over Dagenham & Redbridge, and admitted after the game that he had doubted whether this moment would ever come:
“There were times when I thought I might not get back, so I’m really going to enjoy this season. It was an absolute joy to be out there playing, it has been a long, tough year and I’m glad to be back.”
He’s not alone in his fears - a broken ankle can be an absolutely devastating injury. Still, the return of Abou Diaby from this horrific blow should give Ashton hope as he takes his latest step on the comeback trail. Next stop, England?
