It could have been a lot worse, but at the same time, it provides a great opportunity for another player to make his mark on the team.
It’s a good thing we’ve got the strength in depth to cope with it.
Having been taken off in the first-half against Reading on the weekend, Blues boss Pep Clotet revealed the extent of Dan Crowley’s injury, and the news is that he will be out of commission for two weeks.
Much like the ‘opportunity’ that I spoke about last week in regards to the Marc Roberts injury, it looks as if we could be seeing another one present itself. This is the perfect chance for Jefferson Montero to really put his foot down and be seen as a serious contender for that spot out wide. He’s had a hard time getting in the team this season, failing to get more than 30 minutes under his belt in any game.
Now though with the injury to Crowley, he should be the first person putting himself to fill that spot. Plus, seeing as Crowley has been somewhat shoe-horned into that role away from his more natural role of playing through the middle, we should hopefully see some results from someone who is a natural winger.
And given how many balls into the air that Lukas Jutkiewicz wins, an average of 7.6 per game, if he can whip in some of his crosses, something he’s noted for on WhoScored, then it could lead to a bit of a renaissance for the big man up top.
This could just be a stop-gap solution, or it could be the start of something more long-term. Who knows, a good showing here could lead to him getting more game time on the left-hand side opposite Crowley when he returns from his injury.
Should Montero be the one to replace Crowley?
Yes
No
Plenty of options open to him, but he has to take the chance when he’s given it.
