Manchester Metropolis look set to be with out Rodri for the rest of the season after arguably the membership’s most influential footballer sustained a critical knee harm.
It’s been 19 months since Pep Guardiola’s facet final misplaced a Premier League recreation with Rodri within the group, although three of the 4 fixtures he missed final season resulted in defeat. How will the Residents cope in his absence? And will it show decisive within the title race?
5 instances accidents swayed the Premier League title race
Roy Keane (1997/98)
Manchester United have been beneath new menace in the course of the 1997/98 season because the defending champions confronted competitors from an enhancing Arsenal. The North Londoners have been rising as a pressure beneath Arsene Wenger and only a level separated the edges when Manchester United captain Keane was dominated out for the marketing campaign in late September.
An ACL harm at Elland Highway curtailed the marketing campaign of the all-action Irishman, arguably essentially the most influential footballer within the Premier League at the moment. Sir Alex Ferguson’s facet initially coped nicely with out the midfielder and entered March with a 12-point lead over Arsenal. The Gunners, nonetheless, had three video games in hand and clawed again the deficit with a 1-0 win at Previous Trafford the turning level within the title race.
Roy Keane ACL rehab from 1998
pic.twitter.com/1GxUat8TZD
— The Soccer Physio (@TheFootballPhys) June 26, 2024
Consecutive attracts at dwelling to Liverpool and Newcastle then noticed Manchester United overhauled, lacking out on the title by a single level on the season’s finish. It’s troublesome to think about such slip-ups had the unrelenting Keane been current.
The next season, Keane captained the Pink Devils to a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble.
Eduardo (2007/08)
Arsenal have been driving a wave of momentum forward of a February journey to face Birmingham Metropolis, as an thrilling post-Invincibles facet led the Premier League desk. The Gunners had misplaced simply one in every of their opening 26 video games to open up a five-point lead, although one fateful fixture – and sort out – at St Andrew’s derailed their season.
Martin Taylor’s notorious problem noticed Eduardo undergo a horrific damaged leg, leaving his Arsenal teammates visibly distressed on the pitch.
“The Arsenal gamers listed here are in some misery, I’m informed the harm is so disturbing we can’t present footage of it – not often have I seen such collective anguish on the faces of soccer gamers,” Jonathan Pearce stated on the BBC commentary on the time.
Eduardo had made a powerful begin at Arsenal with 12 targets in 22 begins, although it was the character of the harm that derailed an inexperienced squad.
“I feel this man ought to by no means play soccer once more, what’s he doing on a soccer pitch?” Wenger stated emotively within the aftermath.
“I really feel that the concept that has gone round a very long time is that to cease Arsenal – it’s important to kick Arsenal, I knew that was coming for a very long time now. Folks will say he isn’t the kind of man who does that. However it is sort of a man who kills solely as soon as in his life. There’s nonetheless a useless individual.”
A late Birmingham equaliser noticed Arsenal drop factors within the recreation, earlier than drawing their subsequent three video games and shedding to Chelsea to implode within the title race. A season of such promise unravelled quickly.
Fernando Torres (2008/09)
Liverpool’s hopes of ending their lengthy anticipate Premier League success have been pinned on Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard within the late noughties. The duo’s terrific tandem had fired the Reds into competition, with the 2007/08 marketing campaign seeing the duo mix for 54 targets and 23 assists.
Rafael Benitez’s facet got here agonisingly near ending their title drought the next season, shedding simply twice within the Premier League to push Manchester United all the way in which. Usually forgotten, nonetheless, is how little Liverpool might name on their star names with Torres and Gerrard beginning simply 14 video games collectively as every struggled with accidents.
A world class striker on the peak of his powers
When @Torres scored in three straight matches for @LFC towards Man Utd pic.twitter.com/X8AF2g9IPP
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 1, 2024
Collectively, the 2 have been on the centre of damaging performances towards Manchester United and Actual Madrid, leaving a way of what might need been.
Torres began simply 24 league video games, scoring 14 targets, as Liverpool completed 4 factors off the champions.
Iconic Duos: Gerrard and Torres – Liverpool’s deadly pairing
Virgil van Dijk (2020/21)
Liverpool entered the 2020/21 marketing campaign as Premier League champions after ending a 30-year anticipate a top-flight title the earlier season, having earned the second-highest factors complete in English soccer historical past (99).
A heavy defeat at Aston Villa apart, the Reds opened up their defence impressively with 9 factors from 4 video games earlier than catastrophe struck at Everton.
Jordan Pickford’s knee-high problem on Virgil van Dijk noticed the Dutch defender maintain an ACL harm, leaving Liverpool with out the pillar on which their title success was constructed. Liverpool coped with out Van Dijk initially and topped the Premier League desk at Christmas, although their season imploded within the new yr.
Burnley shocked the Reds to finish their 68-game unbeaten dwelling run within the Premier League, a end result that kickstarted a run of six straight dwelling losses. Jurgen Klopp’s group misplaced six instances in seven video games between February third and March seventh, with solely a late-season revival salvaging Champions League qualification.
William Saliba (2022/23)
William Saliba’s return from a mortgage spell at Marseille helped flip Arsenal into contenders in 2022/23, because the Frenchman’s partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes supplied the muse for a title problem.
The Gunners constructed a formidable lead over Manchester Metropolis, although their season stalled after Saliba sustained a again harm towards Sporting Lisbon in March. Dominated out for the ultimate 11 video games of the run-in, Arsenal struggled defensively in his absence and stored simply two clear sheets, blowing an eight-point lead on the high.
A heavy 4-1 defeat at Manchester Metropolis all however ended their title dream, with the North Londoners making undesirable historical past. Their 248 days on the high of the desk in the course of the season was essentially the most with out ending first in English top-flight historical past.
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The submit 5 instances accidents modified Premier League title races first appeared on The Soccer Trustworthy.
