Liverpool FC Forum

[adamnbarrett]

Rafael Benitez will visit Momo Sissoko today full of confidence that his young midfielder will soon be able to resume his career. 
Sissoko is recovering from the eye injury he sustained in Portugal on Tuesday night and has been ordered to rest completely before undergoing more tests next week.
 
The Liverpool boss is confident Sissoko will return to competitive action, but admits that no timescale can yet be set for his recovery.
 
He said: "I spoke to Momo yesterday and will be going to see him later today.
 
"We had bad news and then some good news. I am feeling more positive about the situation now. It will be difficult for him to play again this season but I am sure he will come back.
 
"The most important thing is the health of the player. He knows the situation and is feeling more confident about things now. He just has to rest now and we should know more next week, maybe on Monday or Tuesday.
 
"I have never seen this injury before. I've seen knocks around the eye which have needed stitches but never anything like this.
 
"Although at this moment we're only concerned about his recovery, it is true we will miss him on the field because he has done very well for us this season."

[Cool Hand Luke]

Sissoko to sit out rest of season

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez does not expect Mohamed Sissoko to play again this season.

Sissoko is currently sidelined with a serious eye injury he picked up in Tuesday's defeat to Benfica.

The powerful midfielder is still waiting to find out the full extent of the problem after going to see a specialist in London about the condition.

It had been feared that Sissoko's career could be under threat with the injury, but Benitez is confident he will be able to return to playing.

However, Benitez is resigned to being without the former Valencia man for the rest of this campaign.

"He is now more confident about the situation, and we must wait a week for him to have rest and then he will see another specialist," said Benitez.

"It is the first time I have seen such a bad eye injury, he needs to rest now. I expect him to play again, but this season will be difficult.

"He is back in Liverpool, he cannot travel so he will stay here for rest. He has heard all the things people have been saying about the injury but for now it is better that he rests and keeps calm.

"He is a big loss, but the most important thing is the health of a player.

"You have players injured, but when it is this serious you must be more concerned about his health first.

"I do not expect Momo to play again this season, maybe we will see him working again within a few months."

In Sissoko's absence Steven Gerrard is expected to revert to his preferred role in central midfield after playing most of the season on the right.

"He (Gerrard) can change matches, and he can do that better from the centre," added Benitez.

"Losing Sissoko means the option for central midfield does involve Gerrard.

"(Xabi) Alonso and (Dietmar) Hamann can play in the middle, but maybe it is time to start using someone else on the right side.

"Momo was working for everyone, a fantastic player with so much energy right across midfield.

"Gerrard is a different type of player but he has more quality and he can change games.

"Luis Garcia, too, can play in three different positions, but if we need to use Gerrard in the middle then Luis can play on the right."

Meanwhile, Liverpool youngster Lee Peltier has signed a new deal at Anfield, which will keep the highly-rated midfielder at the club until 2008.


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[Red Red Tom]

This is good news - but is it anything we didn't know already?  Rafa hopes he'll be back as soon as possible.  We all hope that, but Rafa freely admits that we still don't know anything until Momo sees another specialist next week.  I hope I'm wrong, but I think Rafa is just showing his support for Sissoko and is making an attempt to publicly reassure the player and fans - but in reality Momo's condition is just as up in the air as it was this time yesterday.

Tom

[Sabre]

Thank you Cool hand luke

You have players injured, but when it is this serious you must be more concerned about his health first.

Says it all.

"(Xabi) Alonso and (Dietmar) Hamann can play in the middle, but maybe it is time to start using someone else on the right side.

Options available if we want to move Gerrard back to the middle: Luis Garcia, Cisse, Kronkamp. Do I miss any other? if so? which one?

[Red Red Tom]

Stevie Finnan can play on Right Mid - but I doubt he'll be moved from right back, thats where our consistancy has come from - a strong back four who play together regularly, so it looks like you've got the lot there Sabre.

Tom

[7_Kewell]

probably going to be Garcia or Kronkamp on the right i reacon.

[Theo@home]

"(Xabi) Alonso and (Dietmar) Hamann can play in the middle, but maybe it is time to start using someone else on the right side.

Options available if we want to move Gerrard back to the middle: Luis Garcia, Cisse, Kronkamp. Do I miss any other? if so? which one?

Anderson maybe?

I think Rafa's accepted that Cisse's no good out there - let me rephrase that before we hear choruses of 'Cisse's no good anywhere!' - if Cisse is to make any worth while contribution he'll have the best chance of regaining form playing in his preferred position.  Garcia's a brilliant 'flair' player but we seem to lose a bit of width and consistency when he plays in that role.

Kromkamp is probably the best option IMO at least he is a bit more defensively minded and perhaps that extra bit of insurance would appeal to Rafa.

I'd like to see Anderson simply because I haven't sen him yet and it would be nice to get a glimpse of what the future holds.

[kazza]

I think Rafa's accepted that Cisse's no good out there - let me rephrase that before we hear choruses of 'Cisse's no good anywhere!' - if Cisse is to make any worth while contribution he'll have the best chance of regaining form playing in his preferred position. 

Cisse has been left out of the French squad. It is an important time for him, he can take it to another level and improve his game and general worth to the team, or he can let this setback affect his already low confidence and go of the rails.

[kazza]

I am gutted for Momo, he is a real talent and we will miss his energy.

[Ciggy]

A good thing to come out of Sissoko's injury is that some of the youth may get a chance to start to bed into the first team, Anderson or Hammil.
Gerrard back in the centre we have been missing his talent wasted out on the right time for others to step up and be counted. So Kromkamp, Garcia for the right and maybe give Anderson a chance to shine when we are leading in games.

Hope Momo makes a full recovery great player to have in our squad.

[laza]

Have to disagree CGGY there, i like Stevie out on the right and the silver lining for me is more of Didi in the first XI
Though hopefully Momo will be back sooner rather then later

[Cool Hand Luke]

If Sissoko is out for the rest of the season it leaves us a bit bear to be honest, especially with Zenden in the same boat.

We now have 3 central midfielders, I don’t think that any of the young central midfielders are ready to step up and with Gerrard needed on the right it leaves us quiet vulnerable if we get anymore injuries.

Rafa said that Anderson isn’t ready to be in the first team squad, and I imagine that is also the case with Hammil. So we can stick with Gerrard on the right most of the time and use Hamann and Alonso in the centre. Other options include Garica, Kromkamp and Cisse or even Kewell, but beyond that I can’t think of any. For me Gerrard is still the best option, the rest don’t fill me with confidence, occasionally I can see Gerrard going into the centre in order to rest Hamann or Alonso, and Garcia coming in on the right.

One thing this does highlight is our over dependence on Gerrard. I was thinking in January what would happen if we didn’t sign a right winger and Gerrard got injured in the 1st of Feb for the rest of the season, we would be in big trouble that’s what would happen.

Hope Sissoko makes a full recovery and is ready for pre season.

[adamnbarrett]

Momo Sissoko has promised himself he'll play again this season and is keeping his fingers crossed the Reds can reach the Champions League final to allow himself an emotional return. 
The Liverpool midfielder is currently recovering from the serious eye injury picked up during the Champions League tie against Benfica in Lisbon last month but has assured fans he will play again.
 
"This has all come at such a bad time for me," he admits. "I feel I have been playing some of my best football and really settling into the English way. But I've promised myself I will play again before the end of May. Maybe the FA Cup or Champions League Final will be the game when I return."
 
The former Valencia star admits however that immediately after the injury, there were fears he'd never play again.
 
"It was the scariest moment of my life. The doctor in Lisbon told me there was a serious risk I would lose the vision in my right eye. Suddenly I had all these thoughts swimming around my mind and I asked myself: 'Is this the end of my career?'
 
"My morale was at rockbottom. I had severe headaches and the pain was unbearable. I couldn't deal with being in a situation where you didn't have any answers. I didn't know if everything in my life was about to crumble.
 
"As soon as we got back, the club organised a visit to a specialist. He told me the injury wasn't as bad as I had dreaded and that was like a massive weight being lifted from me.
 
"I saw the surgeon again this week and he's optimistic I will recover normal eyesight but he also says it may never get back up to 100 per cent. Of course, that is not so good but the outlook is better than I first thought.
 
"It's going to be frustrating for me with the Benfica game coming up but there isn't a lot I can do and there are no plans for an operation. I have to take at least two months off because, although I can open the eye, I am suffering from blurred vision. That will get a little better as each day passes.
 
"Our manager Rafa Benitez has suggested I go away and have a bit of a holiday because I think he knows how hard it will be for me to hang around the club and not be able to contribute."

[badradio]

It's seems that,although he may get permanent injuries on his eye, Momo will be able to play next season...he may even play this very season. I'm really happy that it wasn't as bad as they predicted and he got better right in the first days..

Good luck Momo!!

[Ciggy]

  Great news Momo is back in training already, wouldnt suprise me if he played tonight