Chelsea skipper Terry could be out for 'months'
By ESPNsoccernet staff
November 16, 2010
Chelsea's Premier League title defence has received a blow with the admission from captain John Terry that he fears a long-term nerve injury in his leg could sideline him for months.
The complaint forced Terry to miss the shock 3-0 home defeat against Sunderland on Sunday, which served to underline the importance of the defender to the Blues' title defence.
Terry admitted that he was no longer able to play with the pain of the injury, which he has battled since the end of last season, and is worried he will now have to take a long-term break in order to fully recover.
"It is at a point where I cannot carry on with it,'' he told the Sun. "I used to be able to make it through games because the adrenalin gets you going and you blank the pain out. But now there is no decision to make. After games I'm in agony and not sleeping at all.''
Terry will miss England's friendly against France at Wembley on Wednesday night and is reportedly considering whether to fly out to Italy before the end of the week to find a cure.
"I'm at my wit's end,'' he added.
"I know I won't play against Birmingham on Saturday but beyond that there are no clues. It could be weeks, it could be months.''Should Terry be ruled out it would be another major injury blow for Chelsea who have already been without fellow England international Frank Lampard for most of the season.
Lampard is set to miss at least another two weeks after suffering an abductor muscle injury in training last week.
The Blues are also without key midfielder Michael Essien, who has two games to run on his suspension after receiving a straight red card against Fulham last Wednesday night.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=842977&sec=england&cc=4716Huddlestone out for three months after surgery
By ESPNsoccernet staff
November 15, 2010
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tom Huddlestone is likely to miss the next three months of the season with an ankle injury that has been troubling him for some time.
Huddlestone has been nagged by the problem for some time, and has often needed painkilling injections ahead of matches. After carrying out a scan, Spurs have decided to send him for an operation on his deterioating right ankle.
The midfielder missed the weekend's 4-2 defeat of Blackburn Rovers and his lengthy absence will cause problems for Harry Redknapp as Spurs fight on in the Premier League and face two crucial Champions League matches in order to qualify for the knock-out round.
A lack of midfield numbers means Huddlestone's loss will be keenly felt, and his partnership with Luka Modric will now be broken up as the 23-year-old joins Jermain Defoe, Michael Dawson, Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate on the sidelines.
A club statement read: "Following consultation with several independent ankle special-ists*, it has been determined that Tom Huddlestone will undergo surgery on his right ankle. The procedure is likely to rule the England international out of action for around three months."
Tottenham assistant manager Kevin Bond admitted the loss of Huddlestone was a blow but was confident the depth of the squad could cover his absence.
"It looks like he's going to have to have a little clean-out of the ankle and it looks like he's going to be out for some time,'' Bond told Sky Sports News. "He's been excellent for us for some time now, but that's what we've got the squad for. Jermaine Jenas played central midfield on Saturday and was brilliant, so we've got a squad of players and they've all got to play their part. They'll certainly have to do that because we'll be without Tom for a good while.
"There's a lot good players in our squad; we've got no problems with playing any of our players. You'd like to be able to pick from a full squad obviously, but at this moment in time we're not able to do that.''
The loss of Huddlestone comes amid the build-up to this weekend's north London derby against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. The injury also rules him out of high-profile Premier League games with Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. In addition, Huddlestone will be absent from two key European games against Werder Bremen and FC Twente in the coming weeks, with a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League at stake.
Should Spurs progress to the last 16, Huddlestone would be hopeful of featuring, with those fixtures due to begin in mid-February.http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=842968&sec=england&cc=4716(*註: 呢個字唔post得)
