Guille Franco went down just before half in that disaster that was the Deportivo match on Sunday, having taken a knock to the ribs. He has been examined and he did not break a rib - just a bruise. Juan Albors, team doctor, said that it would not hurt him to play, but it would be very painful. Whether or not he is available against Numancia will be based on how he can deal with the pain this week.
Speaking of which, I am pretty frustrated that he started alongside Llorente on Sunday. In a pinch, Guille is good to come on towards the end of the match to try and score a vital game-tying goal. But he is no longer starter material in La Liga - and I say that as a big Guille Franco fan. What worries me most is Pellegrini putting him in there. I do not mean to go back and harp on the "maybe it is time for Pellegrini and Villarreal to part ways" theme, but I really wonder if it might be best for all parties at this point. Pellegrini has been amazing, and has carried Villarreal to heights never before imaginable for our tiny club. But his ideas are starting to feel stale, and his formulas are not bringing the results.
(Note: I think, and I hope, that given a new scenario - say a team in England or Italy or Germany (or, although I would not want to have to go up against him, in Spain) he could thrive - I just think that even the best coaches usually lose a little bit of their edge when they have been in the same place for a while, and that the players no longer respond in the same way).
I think the end of this season might be the time Villarreal and Pellegrini come to a mutual decision to move on, while still keeping a positive relationship with each other. I would hate to see him fired or leave under uncomfortable circumstances - he has done way too much to lift the club up.
Now, perhaps I am much to quick to jump to this conclusion. It is a painful conclusion for me to reach, as for the last few years I have silently begged him to stay with the little team in Vila-Real. But I am starting to think that if some sort of change is not made soon, Villarreal might lose a lot of the momentum it has built up over the last two years . . . but I will happily eat my words if he can turn the season around.
In fact, I really, really, really hope I am wrong.