As league action takes a break this coming weekend and into the new week, more and more shocking surprises are emerging from team camps all round Europe. After England coach dramatically left out established players Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard, his French counter part Laurent Blanc will have to look for other attacking options as he 2 main men are out injured.
Bayern Munich’s Frank Ribery and Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema are all out of France’s Euro 2012 home match against Albania on Sunday. There is more bad news for Blanc as Blaise Mutuidi is also out of the tie.
The trio are out with diverse injuries ranging from Leg to hamstring, however, with the plethora of talent in the team, there is no doubt that Blanc will find adequate replacements.
Les Bleus still lead Group D with 17 points from 8 games and a win on Sunday could see them through to the finals of the competition. Meanwhile Arsenal and France defender Bacary Sagna who is out for the rest of the year after suffering a horrific injury in the North London derby underwent a successful operation on his broken leg.
At minimum Sagna should be out for 3 months, but there is no telling just how long his recovery could take. it is not uncommon for such injuries to keep players out for months.
The injury will be a big blow to the French team but also to Arsene Wenger who is going through one of his worst spells as an Arsenal coach.
A statement from the club read as follows:
“The surgery went according to plan and there has been no significant alteration to the initial prognosis that Bacary will be out of action for a minimum of three months.
“Everyone at the club wishes Bacary a speedy recovery.”
The only respite for Blanc and his technical bench is the fact that Albania will not be a real threat for the French team and I say this with the uttermost respect.
If Blanc plays his cards well, then France could come out with a convincing victory, however, this is football and anything is possible.
Photo credit © cvrcak1
