Liverpool bereft as Agger and Alonso suffer broken metatarsals

Andy Hunter
Thursday September 20, 2007
The Guardian

Rafael Benítez was dealt a major setback to his Premier League aspirations last night when he learned that both Xabi Alonso and Daniel Agger have suffered broken metatarsals which will sideline them for six weeks.

The Denmark defender Agger underwent a scan immediately on his return from Portugal yesterday which revealed a fractured toe in his right foot. The 22-year-old aggravated the injury during training on the eve of Liverpool's Champions League opener against Porto, having believed he was carrying only a minor strain after the weekend draw with Portsmouth. He had been expected to play in Tuesday's game despite feeling discomfort in his right foot after Saturday's draw. However, the pain worsened through training on Monday night and he was named a substitute against Porto instead, which fuelled the belief he had been rotated for Sami Hyypia.

The Liverpool manager had also to revise his midfield plans against Jesualdo Ferreira's side when Alonso limped out of the same training session with a foot injury sustained at Fratton Park. The Spaniard had disembarked from the flight back from Portugal wearing a protective cast on his left foot, and Liverpool were stunned to learn that he too had fallen victim to the curse of the metatarsal.

The loss of Agger is the greater worry for Benítez, the manager having failed in his efforts to sign proven central defensive cover during the summer. Alonso's absence will also be a major setback for Liverpool's assault on two major trophies, the Premier League title and the Champions League, although they are well stocked in central midfield.

Benítez's insistence that Jermaine Pennant must learn from his sending off in Portugal appears a forlorn hope after the England hopeful claimed the dismissal was unwarranted. The winger was rebuked by his manager for an unnecessary foul on the left-back Jorge Fucile that brought a second yellow card and a one-match suspension for the next group fixture at home to Marseille. There may be further punishment from Uefa if the referee, Lubos Michel, mentions Pennant's delayed departure from the pitch in his official match report.

"I didn't think it was the right decision to send me off," insisted Pennant. "It wasn't a yellow card because it wasn't a serious foul, and I didn't touch the Porto player anyway. He made a meal of it, so it was way too harsh. The whistling from the crowd influences the referee and makes his decision easier, probably.

"The referees are harsher in Europe and I was baffled by him all night. I definitely have to learn from the fact there is a difference in how the referees approach games in Europe."