“Militão was injured against Athletic in the first round (on August 12) and returns against Athletic in the second,” Carlo Ancelotti celebrated this Saturday, who recovers seven and a half months later the 26-year-old centre-back, a victim in San Mamés from the feared rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and back to a list to face a red and white team at home (9:00 p.m., DAZN; without Vinicius, sanctioned) fourth in the table and one week before the Cup final.
In the absence of the obvious set-up, the return of the Brazilian alleviates the almost four-month defile that Carletto has had to go through with just two pure centre-backs. In total, 18 games (a third of the course) with only Rüdiger and Nacho after, after learning of David Alaba’s serious injury on December 17 (the third broken cruciate in the locker room, along with Courtois), the club decided not to go to the winter market and throw away what little was left. “We have endured it well, everyone has complied,” said Ancelotti, who at the beginning of February faced the “absolute emergency.” Against Atlético (1-1) Carvajal had to accompany Nacho in the center in the absence of Rüdiger, and against Girona (4-0) he was also left without the captain. Of course, with the improvised Tchouameni and Carvajal, who only had four games between them in the axis of the defense, Míchel’s men did not even shoot on goal.
“The collective work has been very good,” analyzed the white coach. “We are the team that has conceded the least (20 goals, six less than Athletic, and 14 less than Barcelona, Girona and Atlético),” warned the Italian. A path in which, as an individual, he has discovered a resource that convinces him (Tchouameni) and, however, he has encountered a less reliable Nacho. In the Athletic preview, Ancelotti sent two messages to the youth squad. A direct one, when he pointed out without anyone directly asking him about it, that he had “made some mistakes”; and another indirect one, when he recognized that Tchouameni, who has always said that he does not like playing as a center back, could occupy that position in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against City. Two weeks ago, in Pamplona, the Frenchman was the starter.
Ancelotti gives a touch to Nacho and says that Tchouameni can be the one chosen in the first leg against City
With half a smile, Carletto avoided ruling out Militão against the citizens on April 9, although caution is usually imposed after such serious injuries. “We will see match by match. He just needs football, getting used to big fields and teammates. You have to have the necessary time for it to return to the best level,” he explained.
The British doctor Andy Williams, Chelsea’s surgeon for 25 years and author of a report on cruciate ruptures based on the cases of 232 footballers, details to this newspaper that, once discharged, the return to “full performance is “Probably up to two years.” “This is the reason why many players don’t seem to be doing well in their first season back,” he explains.
“The coaching staffs must understand the importance of letting the footballer acclimatize to the intense game instead of forcing him to go out too much at the beginning.”
Andy Williams, expert cruciate rupture surgeon
A time estimate that, according to his experience in the Premier League and rugby, depends on many factors, including psychological factors. “The interesting thing is that great players are better at it. There is something in their psychology that makes them succeed regardless of what has happened to them, while the most normal players are not able to prevail as well,” says the 60-year-old doctor.
The greatest and most immediate concern in the delicate recovery process that Militão now faces is that it will break again in the same area, something that in its report of 232 cases has only occurred 2% of the time. “Which is very good,” he emphasizes. Beyond this misfortune, “a common complication,” says Andy Williams, “is inflammation when the load increases, which can become a real problem.” “That is why I am so interested in the coaching staff understanding the importance of letting the player acclimatize to the intense game instead of forcing him to go out too much at the beginning,” he warns.
Williams, who two weeks ago participated in a medical conference in Madrid with colleagues from United, Arsenal, Milan and the Los Angeles Lakers, estimates the return time after reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament at 10 and a half months. Although he admits that it is an “artificially high” estimate. “Many are ready for April or May, and we wait for the next campaign. The real time is eight or nine months,” says the doctor, who claims to have found a curious fact. “We found that the older players returned four to six weeks earlier than the younger ones,” a fact for which he acknowledges he still has no scientific answer.
Militão is the first of the trio of broken crusaders recovered this season in Madrid. “Courtois will be back soon,” Ancelotti said of the Belgian, who in the last few days of his tune-up suffered a torn meniscus in his other knee, the right one. Alaba is not expected until next year. “When several cases occur in a season, questions are raised. I was at Chelsea for 25 years and I remember a period when there were no breaks for more than 10 years, and then there were three in one campaign. Afterwards, there were none for a long period. One of the English Premiership rugby clubs I looked after suffered seven in one season and then none for a long time. I think this cluster of injuries is not related to anything specific, but they always cause considerable anxiety,” concludes Andy Williams.
You can follow The USA Print in Facebook and xor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.
_
