Silva sidelined as Ibrahimovic slams injuries
Reuters - Saturday 24 March 2012, 22:34
AC Milan are all but certain to be
without centre-back Thiago Silva for Wednesday's Champions
League quarter-final first leg at home to Barcelona after he
suffered a thigh injury.
The influential Brazilian's problem is the latest in a long
line at Serie A leaders Milan and striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic
told reporters that "something has to change" within the club to
stop the injuries.
Thiago Silva was not fully fit for Saturday's 2-1 win at
home to AS Roma and came off after just 11 minutes as coach
Massimiliano Allegri's decision to play him backfired.
He left the San Siro on crutches.
"I decided to risk him today and this is how it went,"
Allegri told reporters.
"I willingly took the risk because today's match was
fundamental for the Serie A championship. And we will now pay
dearly for it. He has a problem to his right thigh flexor
muscle, I think it is virtually impossible for him to play on
Wednesday."
Daniele Bonera could deputise again at centre-half against
holders Barca with Alessandro Nesta not 100 percent fit.
Top Italian sides, once renowned for having the best medical
teams in Europe and lauded by Manchester City's Italian manager
Roberto Mancini this week, have struggled with injuries in
recent years.
Inter Milan had a raft of fitness problems during Rafa
Benitez's tenure in 2010 with pundits blaming his training
regime while reports said humidity at Juventus' Vinovo base was
behind their slew of injuries several seasons ago.