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Aston Villa play their first game since Covid-19 ravaged their team on Wednesday, and against a team that has had its own issues with the virus
Aston Villa’s visit to Manchester City probably couldn’t come at a worse time for Dean Smith and his players.
They face a worryingly fit team, with eight successive wins, and arrive at the Etihad following a “ significant ” Covid-19 outbreak that has torn their team apart.
Smith insists he will have a squad capable of challenging City, but the implications of the outbreak remain unclear.
The Villa manager can at least be encouraged by how the home team handled a similar outbreak of coronavirus cases that threatened to derail City’s season.
Guardiola’s men were forced to call off their game at Everton on December 28 and closed their training ground for three days before it was reopened after a deep clean.
While all cases have not been confirmed, the number of first-team players who tested positive has risen to double digits, with Kyle Walker, Gabriel Jesus, Ederson, Ferran Torres and Ilkay Gundogan among those being forced to not participate in games this season.
Guardiola has been cautious with his players, as Walker and Jesus have not yet played in consecutive games since leaving quarantine.
“Some people recover faster or faster than others,” Guardiola said of his experiences. “I would say even doctors don’t know the exact side effects of a positive test.”
Sergio Aguero will miss another game on Wednesday; he remains isolated after being in close contact with someone who has tested positive.
And Guardiola has had to answer questions about recent controversies, including players hugging each other during goal celebrations and Benjamin Mendy’s misjudged New Year’s Eve party.
But there is no doubt about the seriousness with which the club takes the disease and the impact it can have.
While these are high-end and super-fit athletes, the coronavirus can have serious implications for players’ fitness, even weeks after testing negative.
Injury data analyst Ben Dinnery of the Premier Injuries website says those who have been asymptomatic can quickly recover, but there have been examples where full recovery has been complicated.
“There are huge gray areas because the research just isn’t there. It affects players in different ways, ”said Dinnery Goal.
“Some can come back after 10 days and maybe have lost that little bit of sharpness and for others it can take a lot longer.
“Most Premier League players will have a home gym and so for those who are asymptomatic they can be monitored from a distance by the club. They can maintain basic fitness patterns and you can almost hit the ground running.
“How it differs is that there is no way to replicate what is happening on the training ground. It is not specific to sport or a very busy environment.
“Then you have the ones that have been affected and it depends on the severity. What we do know is that it is a respiratory disease so it affects lung capacity and the ability to handle any cardio load.
“There are different levels of that, but ultimately it will come down to levels of fatigue and whether players are able to train or not.”
City midfielder Gundogan has revealed how sickness had hit him earlier in the season and that it was far from a welcome break after a hectic period of games.
Manchester United’s Paul Pogba and Chelsea’s Kai Havertz also spoke about how the virus affected them for weeks after their initial recovery as they struggled to be in top form.
“Pogba suggested that even though you’re back on the training grounds, you’re just not back at full capacity,” Dinnery added. “You just don’t have that ability to go further.
“A lot of it is about bringing players back to end-of-season levels. You almost have to do a mini-preseason. What we do know is that fatigue has a huge influence on injuries, especially soft muscle problems.
“It’s another difficulty and that’s what clubs have to deal with. Therefore, players may be on the training grounds but not ready.
“The old adage is: training is not a return to play and play is not a return to performance.”
Smith remains optimistic about the quality and fitness of his squad and can gain confidence in how Fulham has managed to draw at Tottenham following his short-term return.
And Guardiola is certain that Villa will be a huge test even if some key players are missing.
“We don’t know which players will be available,” he said on Tuesday. “But the quality they have shown this season compared to last season is incredible.
“I don’t know the situation in Villa but we want them to be in good health. I expect the best, so we have to create problems for them.”
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