EURO 2012: Puyol set to miss Championships

Spain and Barcelona defender Carlos Puyol is set to miss the UEFA Euro 2012 Championships due to a knee injury picked up in his club’s 4-0 victory over Espanyol on Saturday. The robust centre half will be watching from the stands for six weeks as he recovers from the arthroscopic surgery that he is set to undergo this weekend.

This six week layoff would mean that he will be unavailable for the whole of Spain’s group stage campaign, becoming available again for the quarter-finals at the earliest.

This injury will count as a massive blow to Spain as Puyol has been their ever reliable, rock-solid defender for more than a decade now, making 99 appearances for the currently ranked number one team in the world.

Assistant national team coach Toni Grande confirmed the measure of the loss that this would be to the side. Speaking to LaInformacion.com, Grande said, “We have been frozen. Puyol is vitally important for his seniority, his courage, his strength, for everything, because he is the captain.”

Former Spanish midfielder Gaizka Mendieta also alluded to how World Cup and European Championship winning captain would be missed not just on but also off the pitch.

"Anyone missing is important, and especially someone like Puyol who is so experienced. He is such an important figure for the dressing room.”

First-team coach, Vicente Del Bosque also spoke again of the injury concerns of striker David Villa who now looks highly doubtful to board the plane to Poland. The formerly 18 time capped Spanish player himself said ‘It would be very complicated to see Villa at the Euros’.

These two injuries will necessitate a shake-up of both the back-four and the strike force of La Rojas. It is most likely that Segio Ramos will now partner Gerard Pique in the centre of defence with the right back spot presumptively going to former Liverpool man, Alvaro Arbeloa. With regards to further up the pitch Del Bosque will now look to either Fernando Torres or Fernando Llorente to replace Villa.