Andoni Iraola’s Squad Faces Player Availability Challenges

Premier League teams, even those not involved in European competitions or the Carabao Cup, are scheduled to play eight matches between now and the conclusion of 2024. This period often sees an increase in player suspensions, as the threshold for five cautions is not met until teams have completed 19 games, typically by the end of December. Additionally, injuries naturally accumulate, and television broadcasting schedules can dictate unusual match timings. Although both have been ever-present in the Premier League this season, Milos Kerkez (Hungary) and Antoine Semenyo (Ghana) did not join their respective national teams during the recent international break due to injury concerns. The Ghana FA released a statement indicating that Semenyo was “nursing an injury of the patella tendon due to overload of games”, and that the Cherries medical team “thought it wise to use the break to refer him to a tendon specialist to prevent worsening of the injury”. Julian Araujo, who has shared the right-back position with experienced player Adam Smith this season—a strategy referred to as “platooning” in US sports—has undergone hamstring surgery. While no specific recovery timeline has been provided, such operations typically result in an absence measured in months rather than weeks. All of these factors suggest that Andoni Iraola’s squad may be somewhat stretched between now and the end of 2024. As previously reported last week, Ryan Christie will miss the Brighton game due to a one-match suspension, while Marcos Senesi, Justin Kluivert, and Semenyo have each accumulated four yellow cards. It is likely that all members of the squad will be called upon at some point, potentially creating opportunities for players such as Max Aarons. Aarons, who has not yet made an appearance from the substitutes’ bench this season, is now the only natural full-back available to cover for Smith and Kerkez.