Eduardo on the mend

Wenger: Added fuel to the fire?

Arsenal hope striker Eduardo will recover from the horrific injury sustained in their clash with Birmingham on Saturday in nine months.

The Brazil born Croatian international suffered an open dislocation of his left ankle and fractured his right fibula after a late challenge by Birmingham Captain Martin Taylor.

‘All being well, Eduardo will have his leg in plaster and be using crutches for the next six to eight weeks,’ read an Arsenal statement.

‘It is hoped that Eduardo will be running again in six months’ time and making a full recovery after nine months.’

The fall-out from the injury has bought much sympathy for Eduardo, conversely there has been mixed feelings towards Taylor, while many in the game acknowledge that the tackle was not malicious, Taylor has received death threats and was jostled by Croatian journalists as he tried to leave training on Monday.

Arsene Wenger may have retracted his comments that Taylor ‘Should never play football again.’ His initial gross over-reaction immediately after Saturday’s match seems to have added fuel to the fire. It does beg the question why didn’t a man as educated as Wenger simply weigh up the evidence before condemning a player who subsequently has a family in fear for their safety.

Croatia boss Slaven Billic believes Taylor’s actions were not deliberate.

‘The injury made the tackle look bad,’ Billic told BBC Radio 5 Live. ‘You see many tackles like that, almost every week.’

‘That's perhaps wrong for football but I'm sure Martin Taylor is a sportsman and he wanted to play the ball.

‘On another occasion Eduardo could have received a worse tackle and got away without injury - everything went wrong but Eduardo knows Taylor didn't do it deliberately.’

A player’s career lies in the balance while another professional has to deal with death threats.

Eduardo faces the long road back and Taylor will have to deal with the knuckleheads for ever more, but will Arsene Wenger think before opening his mouth in future?

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