Campbell Out Again
Could things get much worse for Sol Campbell? After being out for a good majority of the season with injuries (both physical and mental), he manages to get bashed in the face in his first game back against Portsmouth and breaks his nose. The verdict? He might be out for 3 weeks, if he needs surgery.
All this raises more questions about Campbell’s role for England at the World Cup. Will he be ready? And, if he is physically ready, will he be able to mentally pick up the pieces?
I think Campbell is a fierce competitor who gives 110%, and part of the mental problem he might be having is that he is trying to use his body like he was before his injury. When he came back in February and had that dreadful game against West Ham, you could feel his frustration with the fact that his body wasn’t doing what he wanted it to do. That has to be discouraging, and I’m sure that is part of the reason Campbell hasn’t been back since. So, if he can keep those emotions in check and realize that it will take a while for his body to get back into game shape, he should be mentally ready to slam the door shut on the competition in Germany. If not, he may end up pushing too hard and risk further injury, both to his body and to his mental state.
I will admit that while watching the game, I thought “Ha! I want that guy’s job”: the physio was holding the tissue against his nose while Sol stood there with his hands on his hips.
He won’t be ready, I feel.