Ramsey; two months, maybe five. O’Dowda; three months. Meite and Etete; a month a piece. Erol Bulut delivered the injury bulletin from hell at his press conference yesterday, but this is echoed up and down the country at the moment.
Players have never played more or for longer. At a time when they were already bemoaning their workload, the powers that be saw fit to instead tack on huge amounts of injury time. It may add to excitement, as tired legs and minds often lead to late goals, but injuries are the byproduct. As if the Championship wasn’t tough enough already, the increase in additional time could work out as the equivalent of a handful of extra games. Its now effectively a 50 game season.
Take Ramsey, for example. The reality is that he’s been playing too much. There are some that would argue that a 32-year-old should still be able to handle the rigours of playing twice a week, but he’s been playing senior football since he was 16 and has a history of both niggles and major injuries.
The reason Ramsey had been playing so much is because he had been playing so well. With Cardiff winning, he was remaining on the pitch for longer. In the lead up to his injury, he hobbled off for Wales before playing the full 90 minutes against Swansea, when he eventually succumbed. He was on the pitch long enough to have his moment, but the cost has been extortionate.
There was a broadly similar situation last season with Callum Robinson, who picked up a late injury against Reading and had to hobble on because Cardiff had used all their substitutions. On the one hand, his presence may have unsettled Reading enough that they conceded a late winner, a goal that effectively went on to keep Cardiff up and relegate their opponents, but we haven’t seen THAT Robinson since.
Injuries are part of football and Ramsey could just as easily pull up in the first minute as the last, but it does feel like Cardiff played too much with their new toy and have broken it. I don’t doubt that it was probably Aaron driving that as much as anyone, but it’s a hammer blow after such an impressive start to the campaign.
Bulut has extolled the need for a competitive squad of 25, but he clearly has his favourites, as all managers do. Mark McGuinness and Dimitrios Goutas have played by far the most amount of minutes, as you would expect from your first choice centre backs, who do not cover as much ground as some of their team mates. There are 11 players that have recorded 500 minutes or more playing time, with the group just below consisting of those that have picked up injuries or deputised. Runarsson, Robinson, Colwill, Panzo, Rinomhota and Sawyers have all recorded 90 minutes or less.
On Tuesday, Cardiff looked very leggy at Middlesbrough. The first half was played at a walking pace, but when the tempo increased in the second half, Boro eased to victory. Minimal changes were made to the starting line-up, which was understandable because if you change a winning side and lose, you can expect flak. More rotation may have made a big difference though.
Seeing as Grant has limped out of a couple of recent games and had an ice pack strapped to each leg at the end of the game on Saturday, it was a surprise to see him start again midweek. Admittedly, Cardiff are down three wingers, but they don’t want to make it four. Colwill, with a mere 67 league minutes to his name, was on the bench, ready and willing. So too, Mahlon Romeo, who could have deputised for the absent Jamilu Collins, while Eboue Adams and Rinomhota could have brought energy to a flagging midfield.
Unfortunately, some of the above did themselves no favours with their poor performances against Blackburn in the cup, but that should not hinder their league prospects. Bulut saw fit to hand Colwill a new deal, but still seems reluctant to entrust him. You also wonder how Panzo and Runarsson’s parent clubs will handle their lack of playing time once the January transfer window opens.
Cardiff face a streaky Watford side tomorrow and are limping into the international break, which couldn’t have come at a better time. Robinson, who is struggling with his back and appears to have very little freedom of movement, has mystifyingly been called up for the Ireland squad, but it will otherwise represent a much-needed period of recuperation. When the football restarts however, Cardiff would be wise to remember that sometimes, change is as good as a rest.