While people around the world eagerly await for Christmas and New Year for festive reasons, Premier League fans love the same period for footballing reasons, as one of the most exciting spells of the domestic season is about to arrive.
While not all 20 teams will be playing on the Boxing Day this year, the Premier League season is jam-packed and will have 3 gameweeks from now on till the 4th of January. Clubs will be looking to field their strongest teams in this tight schedule, yet there are a few crucial players missing from some teams who will be sorely missed in the upcoming games.
Here, we look at the biggest misses by some teams in the upcoming festive season matches:
#5 Yannick Bolasie
The £30m Everton signing had his season ended as he suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage in his team’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
Bolasie had taken part in all of Everton’s games prior to this unfortunate injury and was a crucial part of the team. Despite scoring only one goal so far, the Congo international had set-up his teammates four times and was influential in their attacking play with his fast sprints and trickery in the final third.
With things looking down for the team anyway after just having suffered a late defeat in the Merseyside derby, there is no doubt that Koeman and his team would be missing the pace and skills of the 27-year-old a lot. Definitely a big miss for the team in their bid to go up the table.
#4 Ilkay Gundogan
A player whose career has already been marred with so many unfortunate injuries, the German international suffered a challenge in Manchester City’s win against Watford and is now expected to be out for the rest of the season.
Gundogan was a big money signing made by new manager Pep Guardiola and he was already showing his worth by getting in the first team despite his manager’s tendency of changing personnel every game. A brace against Barcelona was the high point of Gundogan’s season so far, and this injury could not have come at a worse time.
While Yaya Toure is a good replacement, Guardiola will miss the presence of the German in the middle of the park in the upcoming games which includes a tough visit to Anfield.
#3 Charlie Austin
The Englishman is one of the few players who just cannot catch a break. Austin injured his shoulder in the Europa League and it was all for nothing as Southampton were knocked out of the tournament on the same night.
The former QPR striker did not start the season as first choice but cemented his place in the starting line-up as soon as he was given the chance to, and was the talisman for the Saints.
The 27-year-old was involved in 10 goals in 19 appearances prior to his untimely injury and his teammates will no doubt miss his influence in front of goal in the days to come. Austin is expected to be out for almost four months, and Southampton fans can only hope he returns as soon as possible.
#2 Philippe Coutinho
The diminutive Brazilian who is one of the best players in the Premier League and arguably the best player in Merseyside. The Brazilian injured his ankle in a game against Sunderland around a month ago and is expected to make it back to the team just after the festive season.
Liverpool have dropped 5 points in the absence of their little magician, which included a dramatic loss at Bournemouth, where they sorely missed the spark of magic that Coutinho provides.
The midfield star was racing to be fit by New Year, but it looks like he won’t feature for the Reds in an all-important clash near the top of the table as Manchester City visit Anfield.
The 24-year-old has a knack of scoring against the Citizens and Liverpool have looked anything but certain since his injury barring the one game against Middlesbrough. Coutinho might make it in time for the Sunderland game on the 2nd of Jan, but even that looks unlikely at the moment.
With Liverpool having the tightest schedule in the coming season, the hole that the Brazilian leaves in the middle will not be one filled so easily come the next three games.
#1 Santi Cazorla
Arsenal’s Premier League win percentage is 65.55% when the Spaniard features in their team, and is just over 40% when he is not. That alone is enough to tell you how important Cazorla is to this Arsenal team.
While the absence of new signing Mustafi was felt in Arsenal’s last two games, the player that they have missed the most is, without a doubt, the 32-year-old midfielder.
Cazorla provides a certain balance to the team and makes the players around him better – the sign of a top player. Cazorla had an astounding passing rate of 91.3% in the Premier League in 8 games before he got injured in the Champions League.
Wenger has still not found a replacement for the Spaniard in the middle of the park, as he has tried different combinations and none have worked even remotely as well as he would have expected. Arsenal’s play has become predictable, and the return of Cazorla who is now expected to be out till March cannot come fast enough for the fans.
Honourable mentions
Danny Ings
Another cruel blow for the Englishman as he had his season ended for a second successive year in a League Cup game. With Sadio Mane leaving for the AFCON, a player like Ings was sorely needed by Klopp but now he has to delve into the market for a replacement.
Shkodran Mustafi
The centre-back has yet to face defeat in an Arsenal jersey. Impressive since he was signed, Mustafi has definitely been missed in the past few games and his partner Laurent Koscielny and the rest of the team will be desperate for his arrival come the New Year.
Duncan Watmore
The Sunderland and English midfielder was integral to the struggling Sunderland before an injury ended his season. David Moyes has said that he expects the player to miss more games, and the relegation battling team could very well do with a player like him in their next few games.
