Has KJH Played His Last Game as Ajacied?

I’ll cut the suspense out early: I am saying no. But the news from the MRI is not good. Klaas is looking at around 6 weeks, putting a comeback date somewhere near the end of the December. Might as well hold him out until after the break, then, assuming he is not sold in January like some are claiming will be the case. Warning: this entire post is devoted to KJH.

First, the injury news is bad. KJH will now miss the big matches against AZ and PSV as well as the rest of our UEFA Cup group stage, and advancement is far from locked up for us. Injuries have crushed the squad and kept the new faces from meshing with the old. Now the biggest cog in the wheel is going to be sitting around watching Sulejmani work his way back alongside Enoh (who played a reserve match recently), et al. While we looked like a strong contender to sit at the top of the pile by the break, now we have to hope to keep pace.

But, we also have to remember that KJH has been in a bit of a slump (by his standards) since the playoffs last season. He has just not been himself, and his return of 6 goals this season is far below what we have come to expect. Suarez has scored 5 (but needs to stop diving), but all our other attackers have been injured too often to find any rhythm. If Suarez can keep his feet, I am confident he can cue the attack from the wing. We will miss our triggerman in the middle, but right now, I do not think KJH is the most indispensable Ajacied on the pitch. Wow. I said it. Just like that. Feel free to stop reading and skip to the comments section below to lambaste me. But I am sticking to it (until we lose 4 straight).

Finally, the injury news does have a velvet lining if you were seriously expecting KJH to leave in January (which I was not). What team would take a chance on a recently injured striker who was searching for his form anyway during a winter term where prices are going to be jacked up significantly? OK, besides Man City, who else? He is staying until next summer. And, if we can figure out how to score a few goals between now and January, he could be leaving a title celebration as his going-away present.

Category: Team News

Tags: Team News

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