Micah Richards is targeting a return to the Manchester City team this February. Will it be too little time for him to have an influence and too late?
Micah Richards went down with a bad knee problem during the match against Swansea City back in October. It was a massive blow to the club because he is one of the best defenders at the club. He is targeting a return to the side in February but it may be a little too late for him to have a major impact over the rest of the season.
City may have played the better football in the Manchester derby last weekend but Manchester United looked very determined and seem unlikely to let any team dent their position now they have a gap at the top of the league. One of the areas of the City team which has been criticised in recent times is the defence and part of that is because Richards has not been playing.
What Richards adds to the back four is stability and pace. He can tuck in alongside the centre backs when the team is under pressure which may have prevented United’s first goal last weekend as Wayne Rooney made a run in an area of the pitch where he normally plays.
“I am not putting a date on when I will be back because these things are never exact but I am hoping it will be in early February. There is still not too much I can do but I am now on one crutch instead of two so that is progress. Of course it is frustrating and there is nothing more I would like than to be out there playing,” Richards told the City official website.
A lot of matches are going to be played between now and the time he ultimately comes back and he may even need until at least the end of February to get back into the side and back into the rhythm where he has the biggest impact over the rest of the side.
Richards also has the ability to bang heads together when things are not going well. He is a very passionate and loyal type of player which would be vital for City right now as opposed to a couple of months before the end of the season. He would ultimately give the team a better chance of clawing back that six point gap from United.
City can cover for him until he returns but he is quicker and arguably more athletic than any full back currently playing for the club. City will probably have around a dozen games of the season left when he returns and it may just be a little short in terms of time he can have to make a drastic impact on the club’s title challenge, considering he does get back into the starting eleven before the start of March.
image: © alfonso jimenez
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