Kurt Zouma may have kicked a cat recently for which he has been sanctioned and profusely apologised for his 'stupid' actions, but the rest of the defence must feel as if they have run cats over given the back line's appalling injury status. The news that Isssa Diop is out for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury has only added to the burden now faced by the club ahead of it's most crucial week for 40 years
First stalwart Angello Ogbonna, then Vladimir Coufal, then Aaron Cresswell, then Kurt Zouma and now Diop! This leaves Les 'Balon' Dawson as the club's only centre back and he has been playing with a long term injury that requires frequent cortisone injections just to get him through games, just like Alvin Martin used to, he is also nursing a recently twice broken nose to boot.
Losing the services of Diop at this stage of the season is an unmitigated disaster, he had just successfully stepped up to the plate to fill in for the injured Zouma and had begun to show glimpses of the superb form he showed when he arrived at the club from Toulouse in a £26 Million deal when Pellegrini was the manager. The young Frenchman's form had fallen off the cliff, but he has the support of his manager who only last week was quoted as saying "we really like Issa and look forward to him developing further with the team in the future".
Well that's all to cock now isn't it? What Moyes and his staff do to accommodate yet another defensive injury is a matter of some conjecture because there is NO ONE left to take up position alongside Dawson except Alese or Baptiste from the youth set up, neither have had any 'big game' experience and would therefore represent a risk if selected.
The only other option David Moyes has is to move Declan Rice to a centre back position, but by doing so he will rip the heart out of the midfield. Hindsight is useless now, the fact that no one was brought in during the January window has come back to bite the club venomously, it might just be a 'bite too far' this time. - LN
Comments
3-5-2 will be the order of
3-5-2 will be the order of the day. The last few results will certainly be biting us on the arse now. I think the best we can hope for is Wolves fairing worse than us and us finishing 7th.
Someo e needs to be taken to task over the failure to strengthen the fragile squad in January. We don't just get knocks. We get season ending injuries.
Understandably frustrating
Understandably frustrating for the long suffering faithful. Always seems to be 1 step forward two back with hope being the determining factor in not signing additional players. We really do face the biggest transfer summer in history and the actions of the club will be telling in what their dreams are for the club. Are they the same as ours?
It's a miracle that the determining factor of hope has resulted in Big Mick playing more games in a season than ever before and us not having to play without defenders and forwards for the rest of the season!!
Rice has to drop into defence
It will not rip the heart out of the midfield indeed i think it could reinvigorate it.....soucek no longer wondering should he hold or go forward..Coufal/Johnson Dawson Rice Cressy looks more solid than risking the youngsters in two massive european ties ahead....playing Lanzini Vlasic and Soucek in the middle Bowen Right Forcandles left and Antonio up the middle is only way to go in those games but against chelski/gooners lets see what Moyes is prepared to do.
Sounds good
To me Mac & your right souschef seems to play better without Rice next to him
Perhaps Poodlehead can
Perhaps Poodlehead can finally get to play in midfield? Or Marky Noible, at least until his legs go, or until he receives his ineviatble yellow card
This is more than just bad
This is more than just bad luck ,your right in one thing Louis, someone needs to be held accountable for the cock up in January ,but there again look at all the other cock ups and no one to blame ,example ,outrageous losses on transfers ,letting the General go ,what wouldnt we give to have him now .
We need to forget
About the league until we have been knocked out of Europe.