Bad Blows and a Bad Time

Is it just me or have there been a huge number of injuries over the last few weeks leading to the World Cup? Just off the top of my head I can rattle out injuries to stars like Arjen Robben, Didier Drogba, Rio Ferdinand, Andres Iniesta, Andrea Pirlo, Julio Cesar among others. Even coaches can't escape health concerns, see Denmark coach Morten Olsen. Some, Ferdinand, have been ruled out of the tournament and others, Iniesta and Jozy Altidore, are not thought to miss any significant time while even some others, Drogba, have their World Cup hopes hanging on the thinnest of threads. But just exactly how big of a blow is one player out of squad of 23, that depends on the team.

You take an Altidore out of the US lineup and you have a vastly different team, however you take a Rio Ferdinand off the starting XI for England and you still have world class defenders in John Terry, Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole and Glenn Johnson available. Yes Ferdinand was captain of England and it is a big loss but not a loss they cannot overcome. Take the reigning European champions in Spain. Losing a playmaker like Andres Iniesta is just as big a blow for La Furia Roja as it is for the Three Lions, but you can slip a Cesc Fabregas in his central midfield spot or any of there other world class playmakers that ride the bench, who would other wise be a starter on almost any other team and you still have a favorite to win it all.

By far the most significant loss (potentially) is Didier Drogba of the Ivory Coast. Already at a disadvantage by playing in the "Group of Death" with Portugal and Brazil and minnows North Korea (my sleeper pick to win A game...not advance, and having hired a new coach in Sven-Goran Eriksson at the eleventh hour for World Cup preparations this can hardly be anything short of a near national crisis for Cote d'Ivoire. Droga potentially being out for the tournament (although recent reports have him coming back in time for the game against Portugal, which would be miraculous) due to a broken arm is not only a huge blow for the Ivorians, but a huge blow for a fan of soccer (except if you're a Brazilian, Portuguese or North Korean fan) because of Drogba's shear skill, passion and brilliance on the pitch. Drogba isn't the teams only playmaker, but he is there most important. The Chelsea striker has the ability to be the best player on the pitch at any given moment and can change a game in an instant with his beautiful touch and thunderous finishes. The English Premier League leader in goals has such a thirst for the net that he takes it personally when not chosen to take a penalty (see Chelsea's FA Cup final this year) and carries that anger with him and churns it into explosiveness once the ball arrives at his feet.

Certainly if he were to comeback that would be a huge lift for a team that needs even a Drogba at 50% if they are to seriously contend for the Round of 16, but jsut what kind of impact can he have with an arm in at least one cast, giving him limited mobility. Sure it's football and an outfield player cannot play the ball with his hands, but balance is as crucial as pace if you're a striker. having a heavier arm, complete with a cast and screws and plates on the bone itself is going to a significant impact on his mobility and balance. As mentally tough as Drogba is, you can't help but feel that he's going into the game fearless, but will this injury make him skidish? Will he suddenly loose his aggressiveness in order to protect his arm from further damage? I hope not. Cote d'Ivoire is counting on Drogba and so are millions of soccer fans around the world hoping to catch Drogba, now 32, give us a dazzling performance on African soil in what will probably be his last World Cup as a player.

Staying in the group and on the same topic of injuries a Portuguese winger once signed by Alex Ferguson from Sporting CP in Portugal has been ruled out of the World Cup through a shoulder injury. No not THAT player, the other one of similar background and career path, Nani. (Cristiano Ronaldo is fine, though you know he will go down at an opportune moment with what he'll make look like a career ending ankle injury only to get up and make a dazzlingly run at goal moments later and wink at his bench.) I have Portugal fighting with Ivory Coast for the second spot out of that group, and given the lack of depth on Portugal this could be almost as bad as Ivory Coast losing Drogba (ALMOST) and seeing as how Ronnie has failed to step up for his country during qualifying and recent friendlies. The depth on Portugal is so bad that he is being replaced by a guy who has never appeared in a game for Portugal. Nani had a good year for Manchester United and was penciled in as a world cup starter and a key player behind Ronnie. Portugal is no depending on Ronnie more than Ivory Coast depends on Drogba.

The group of death could turn out to be the exact opposite for Brazil the way things are looking. The face a team with players no one has heard of, a one man show, and a team hoping its star returns.