A draw last weekend to Tottenham in the North London Derby brought about disappointment before a 1-0 win over Brentford in the Carabao Cup. Heading into the match at the Vitality Stadium, there were some injury concerns for Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, William Saliba, Fabio Vieira and Leandro Trossard.
All five played their part in the end, despite the huge churn of fixtures, coming as a blow to those on the fringes that have been looking for opportunities. One of those is Emile Smith Rowe, who has struggled for game time over the past year for a number of reasons.
The first started last season, where he picked up an early injury that kept him out of contention for most of the year, giving Gabriel Martinelli the chance to earn that role on the left-wing. Leandro Trossard was then added to the squad in January, joining from Brighton to bring competition out wide and up front.
It's seen Smith Rowe left out of action for a while, only handed his first start in 499 days when he was in the lineup against Brentford in midweek. With a three-goal lead and ten minutes to go against Bournemouth, the Hale Ender was given another opportuA chance presented itself to him in the 90th minute, but it was saved by Cherries goalkeeper Neto, denying him a place back on the scoresheet. Ben White managed to add a fourth just moments later, but it would come as no consolation to Smith Rowe after the game.
The 23-year-old was spotted in tears when clapping the away support, with Oleksandr Zinchenko attempting to console his teammate. Members of the coaching staff came to talk to the winger too, who wiped his face with his shirt before walking away towards the tunnel.
It remains to be seen which chances will remain for Smith Rowe in the coming weeks, with a busy schedule ahead, but they will have to be taken sooner rather than later if the youngster wants a shot at consistent football.
0 Comments