An injury update on Gerard Moreno

It’s so frustrating. Every time we seem to be on the verge of a great run of momentum it’s something out of our control that stops it. Injuries, absences due to international participation, COVID, it seems like no matter what we do we cannot have a steady run where all our best players are available.

Gerard Moreno is the latest casualty after going off against Betis with a calf injury. The official release came with what I consider to be the most annoying phrase in all of sports ‘his recovery time depends on his progression’ which tells us nothing at all. In all likelihood, though, the club releasing a statement about his injury on Wednesday is not good news for a league match that’s supposed to happen on Saturday, and keep in mind that after we face league leaders Real Madrid we have an appointment with Juventus later on this month.

The encouraging news is twofold. First, and most importantly, Gerard’s issue is not with the hamstrings that have bothered him so much recently, so hopefully he can be fully recovered very soon. Second, the team really did look excellent in his absence against Real Betis after he left, and if that defensive soliditity and direct play can be replicated then we certainly have a chance against a Madrid side that has been less than convincing at times this season and has injury issues of their own with Karim Benzema and Ferland Mendy.

Javi Mata was a bit more descriptive than the club talking about the injury. He suggests it could be 3-4 weeks and that the club is going to be careful in treatment. Four weeks would cause him to not only miss Madrid and Juve but also Granada, Espanyol, and Osasuna.

To operate at our full potential, we need 7 playing to the best of his potential. Hopefully that calf recovers soon because the race for Europe in La Liga is insane and we are going to need him for it.