Every Game Each Premier League Player Will Miss With AFCON/Asian Cup
With several players from most Premier League clubs departing for the Africa Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup, Adam Monk takes a look at how each team will cope over the period...
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00:00 Here again, yes, the time where it's the Africa Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup as well.
00:04 The Asian Cup ends on the 10th of Feb and the AFCON the 11th of Feb.
00:08 But if you support a Premier League team, there's a likely chance that one of your players,
00:12 if not more, will be at those tournaments and it could affect your team's performance
00:17 as well.
00:18 So, as quickly as I possibly can, but as thoroughly as I possibly can, I'm going to try and strike
00:22 a balance.
00:23 We're going to go through every single Premier League team, who they're missing for the next
00:26 few games, what games they're missing and how it could affect them.
00:28 So without further ado, let's go.
00:31 So starting with Arsenal, Thomas Partey is injured and hasn't really played for Arsenal
00:36 this season anyway, so he's not going with Ghana.
00:38 Takahiro Tomiyasu is on Asian Cup duty with Japan and Mohamed Elneny with Egypt.
00:43 They've both been sort of squad players, Tomiyasu playing a bit more, but they'll both be missing
00:47 for the next few games.
00:49 And really, I mean, in the past it used to be all Bamayangu was missing on Gabon duty
00:54 for the AFCON, so they'd be lacking goals, but Arsenal in general are lacking goals anyway
00:59 at the moment with Saka Martinelli and Ketia Jesus.
01:02 So they just need to address that really.
01:04 They have problems right now in the present, regardless of players leaving.
01:08 So Arsenal just need to address their current issues regardless of the tournament.
01:13 So yeah, that is where Arsenal stand right now.
01:15 Moving on, Aston Villa, now they're losing one player and that is Bertrand Traore, who
01:19 is on duty for Burkina Faso.
01:21 Of course a right winger by trade, but that's kind of where Aston Villa are just stacked
01:26 this season.
01:27 Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby, of course, playing that sort of second striker role, but predominantly
01:32 are right wingers.
01:33 So I don't think they'll miss Bertrand Traore too much.
01:35 He's not really played many games this season.
01:38 They've also got Zaniolo as well, who can play off the right hand side.
01:40 So yeah, not much will change for Villa.
01:43 Long may it continue with them near the top of the table.
01:46 I did say they could win the league a few weeks ago, but yeah, that was maybe hyperbole.
01:51 I don't want to end up with egg on my face and I think I'm going to.
01:55 So apologies for that, but I think they could get top four.
01:57 Anyway, long may it continue for Villa.
01:59 Moving on to the South Coast where the Cherries Bournemouth reside.
02:03 Now they're losing two players, Dango Uttara and Antoine Semenyo.
02:07 And realistically, I think Bournemouth now, they've almost, it's not quite a job done,
02:12 but they've climbed up the table enough to suffice where they're not going to be dragged
02:14 into a relegation battle.
02:16 Lost one in the last eight games, which is incredibly impressive when you think how poorly
02:20 Bournemouth started the season.
02:21 So given the fact that Iraiola has now really ingrained his style into that team, I don't
02:26 think much will change for the next four or five fixtures where those two players are
02:29 missing.
02:30 So realistically, Bournemouth again, they won't suffer too much.
02:34 Brentford next, and here's where it gets interesting because it's four players on international
02:39 duty.
02:40 Saman Godos, Frank Onyeka and Kim Ji-Soo are all on international duty.
02:45 Of course, Onyeka plays a fair few games.
02:47 Kim Ji-Soo hasn't played for Brentford at all yet and is of course a youngster.
02:50 But the biggest omission is Johan Wisse, because of course he's been playing up front in Ivan
02:55 Toni's absence this season with Brian Mbermo, who is currently injured.
02:59 So with those two out the team, Brentford are basically going to have to revert back
03:03 to their old ways because Toni's coming back on the 17th of January very, very shortly.
03:07 I think we're going to see the Brentford of old come to fruition, and it maybe could benefit
03:11 Brentford because the results have dropped off of recent.
03:14 They started the season in flying form, playing those two up top, but now they physically
03:18 can't do that.
03:19 They're going to have to start utilising Toni's strengths again.
03:21 So it'll be interesting to see.
03:23 I don't think it'll hamper them, but yeah, it'll be interesting to see what happens at
03:27 Brentford with it all.
03:28 Brighton next, and they are losing two players.
03:30 They're losing Simon O'Dringer, who has started the season quite well, really.
03:34 Again, one of those players who sort of just came from nowhere and is integrating himself
03:38 into the squad.
03:39 Looks exciting, but the bigger omission is Kaoru Mitomo.
03:42 The thing is with Brighton, I mean, regardless of who comes in and out of that squad, it's
03:46 been Kaiseido this summer.
03:47 They spawn another player in.
03:49 It's now Carlos Belaver this season in that midfield as well.
03:52 And now Jack Hinshelwood of late as well.
03:54 So realistically for Brighton, it's just a conveyor belt.
03:57 It's like whack-a-mole.
03:58 You whack one down, another player springs back up.
04:00 So Brighton, they're slightly inconsistent at the moment, and I think that probably will
04:04 continue.
04:05 So I think as good as Mitomo is, one of the best wingers in the league, I think Brighton
04:08 will pretty much stay the same.
04:10 Draw a few, lose a few, win a few.
04:12 They're kind of that team at the moment.
04:14 Moving on swiftly to Burnley.
04:17 No one's going, guys.
04:18 So you guys just need to get some points on the board.
04:21 Not much more to say.
04:22 So moving on swiftly.
04:24 Chelsea.
04:25 And Chelsea will be missing Nicholas Jackson, who has been missing the net for quite a lot
04:30 this season.
04:31 Maybe that's a bit harsh.
04:32 Seven Premier League goals at his 22 years of age.
04:34 So I'll cut him some slack.
04:35 But what is good news for Chelsea is Christopher Nkunku is now back in the team and is, of
04:39 course, injured.
04:40 Injured 20 years, Adam.
04:41 Sorry, my mistake, guys.
04:43 Yes, I thought Christopher Nkunku was fit at the time of recording, but apparently not.
04:48 So yeah, it looks like it's Armando Breuer leading the line for now, if Chelsea want
04:52 a striker.
04:53 But yeah, just to go back to Jackson, I think given the season that they've had and where
04:56 they are in the table, Chelsea fans, just to be honest, won't really be bothered either
05:01 way.
05:02 It's only four games without Nicholas Jackson.
05:04 Not the end of the world.
05:05 Let's move on.
05:07 Crystal Palace next, and they are losing one player, and that one player is Jordan Ayew,
05:11 who is actually the most fouled player in the Premier League this season, with 65 fouls
05:15 committed against him.
05:17 But nonetheless, he's never been a prolific player, Jordan Ayew for Crystal Palace.
05:20 And of course, Alisse has been phenomenal of recent, and is now back in the team.
05:24 But what it could mean is that Mateus Franca, the new Brazilian signing, who Roy Hodgson
05:29 has touted as being very talented, and many, many fans of Brazilian football and Palace
05:33 fans are very excited to see him start playing for Crystal Palace.
05:36 He could get a run in the team.
05:37 So actually, it could breed some new excitement into that Crystal Palace side with Jordan
05:41 Ayew absent.
05:42 So yeah, we'll wait and see.
05:43 But Palace will just always be there or thereabouts in mid-table.
05:47 So that will continue.
05:48 Everton.
05:49 Now Everton, of course, having a weird, weird season in that sort of relegation dogfight,
05:53 despite winning many, many games and playing well, because that points deduction.
05:56 But they are losing Idrissa Gueye, who is on Senegal duty.
05:59 However, what is interesting is Abdoulaye Dekore should have been going to Mali duty
06:03 for the Afrika Koopa Nations.
06:04 But he has actually said that he wants to stay at Everton.
06:07 So he's refusing to go to the Afcon.
06:09 He wants to stay and help Everton fight to stay up in the Premier League, really, which
06:13 he did last season, bailed them out with that last goal of the season against Bournemouth
06:16 at home.
06:17 So of course, the fans favourite, a toffee through and through.
06:20 So Abdoulaye Dekore is not going because he wants to stay on Merseyside and help Everton
06:25 in the relegation dogfight.
06:27 So yeah, respect.
06:28 Can't knock it, really.
06:29 Fulham next.
06:30 Now Fulham are losing three players.
06:32 They're losing Calvin Bassi, Alex Iwobi and Fode Balo-Toure.
06:35 So two centre-backs and then a forward/a Iwobi.
06:38 But Fulham are one of them teams, I mean, they'll always be thereabouts.
06:41 And I think it's quite underrated, the actual level of squad depth Fulham have for a mid-table
06:46 club.
06:47 Despite losing Iwobi in the forward line, they've got Dekod Over Reed, they've got
06:50 Jimenez, they've got Wilson, they've got Willian, they've got Adama Traore.
06:54 So they've got a real wealth of Premier League experience, which will just absolutely be
06:58 enough to keep them winning games.
07:00 So I suspect Fulham will be OK.
07:03 Losing two centre-backs is tough, but Fulham will be fine.
07:05 Liverpool next.
07:06 Now, don't panic.
07:07 I know it's been a crisis, you're losing Mo Salah.
07:09 Liverpool fans are used to this and I think Jurgen Klopp is as well.
07:13 And he's also just proved that by winning at the Emirates without him, straight off
07:17 the bat.
07:18 I think arguably the bigger cause for concern with this is that Wataru Endo is on Japan
07:22 duty and Japan are of course the favourites to win the Asian Cup.
07:26 He's their only out and out six, so they're probably going to be forced to play McAllister
07:30 there more often, who's maybe not as physical or gritty.
07:32 And I'm not saying Endo's a world beater, but he fills a hole in that team that other
07:36 players can't quite.
07:37 And he's been playing really well of late, so Jurgen Klopp's going to have to address
07:41 that in the league, I think, if Liverpool are to keep winning games.
07:44 Because I think they've got enough firepower up front to carry the weight that Salah was
07:48 carrying when he was there.
07:50 And I think they also owe it to Mo Salah to still be in the title hunt in five games'
07:53 time.
07:54 So I suspect, despite it being branded a crisis because Mo Salah's one of the best players
07:58 in the world, I think Liverpool will be OK.
08:01 So don't panic, Reds.
08:03 Luton next.
08:04 They're losing one player, and that player is Issa Kabore, who's actually quite a big
08:07 loss to Luton as well, really.
08:09 Luton tend to play the same-ish 11 every single week, week in, week out.
08:14 With Doughty and Issa Kabore in those wing-back positions, Luton's game plan this season has
08:17 heavily been based on set-pieces and also floating balls into the back post to Adebayo
08:21 has had that hang time to score aerial goals.
08:24 So Luton will be losing out on Kabore a bit.
08:27 But again, Luton have just got to grind out points.
08:29 It doesn't matter who they've got on the pitch.
08:30 They've just got to find a way this season, and I think they'll continue to do that.
08:34 Manchester City, well, they are losing no one.
08:36 This is Pep's evil master plan.
08:38 He's sold Mahrez now, and he's got Doku coming back, Haaland coming back, De Bruyne coming
08:41 back.
08:42 So, yeah, rest of the league should probably panic because the weird, evil genius has been
08:47 probably planning this for quite some time.
08:49 So no players going to the AFCON or Asia Cup for City.
08:52 They have a fully-fit squad.
08:53 Manchester United, now they are losing Safian Amrabat to Morocco duty and Andre Onana to
08:58 Cameroon duty.
08:59 But he has insisted, Andre Onana, that he wants to go after January the 14th, after
09:04 he's played at Tottenham away.
09:05 So he's going to play against Wigan in the FA Cup and then Tottenham away in the league.
09:09 I don't know why he's insisting on staying, but he has.
09:11 And then Cameroon's first game of the tournament is actually 24 hours later.
09:15 So that guy's not going to get any sleep, and he's going to be playing two games back
09:18 to back in two days.
09:20 The only interesting thing it could bring for Manchester United is that Altai by India,
09:24 their new Turkish goalkeeper, could get a run in the squad.
09:26 So it'd be interesting.
09:27 Of course, he's not going to displace Onana, but it'd be interesting to compare and contrast
09:31 how both keepers perform in that back line and whether one instills more confidence than
09:37 the other, shall we say.
09:38 But yeah, Onana gone for a month and also Amrabat.
09:40 So let's just see what happens at United, because honestly, do you even know anymore?
09:45 No.
09:46 Do I?
09:47 No.
09:48 There seems to be no script anymore.
09:49 It is chaos there.
09:50 So yeah, that's probably going to continue.
09:53 Newcastle next and count your lucky stars, Newcastle fans, because you have no players
09:57 going to the AFCON or Asia Cup.
10:00 However, you do have 58,276 injuries, though.
10:04 So yeah, Nottingham Forest say are losing six players.
10:07 So let's reel them off.
10:09 Serge Aurier, Willy Bollie, Ibrahim Sangare, Cheku Kouyate, Moussa Niakate and Ola Aina.
10:15 They're all on AFCON duty.
10:16 And I mean, it could actually be a bit of a blessing in disguise for Nuno in a weird
10:20 way, because he's just come through the door.
10:21 He's got two wins in the Premier League at Newcastle and at home to Manchester United.
10:25 But of course, he's got an absolutely massive squad.
10:27 So to shred it down by default for a few matchdays could actually help Nuno, you know, tinker
10:32 with some new players and find players that he actually likes within that sea of players
10:36 who are training every single day.
10:38 So in a way, obviously, I think Forest will be fine this season in the Premier League,
10:41 but it might just help Nuno refine the squad and pick some new favourites, maybe for the
10:45 games moving forward and potentially next season as well.
10:48 So I think actually, in a weird way, despite the fact that losing first team players, it
10:51 could actually, with a new manager coming in, benefit Forest a little bit in a kind
10:56 of weird, counter intuitive way.
10:58 I think it could potentially benefit Forest.
11:01 Sheffield United, they're losing Anis Ben Salmani and Yasser Larouchi.
11:04 So two players, not really much to say, because those lads, bottom of the league, they just
11:08 need to get some players in and win some games.
11:10 And they've just signed Brereton Diaz, which is a positive for them, because he was very,
11:14 very good in the championship for Blackburn.
11:16 Didn't really hit it off with Villarreal, but a good player to get in nonetheless.
11:19 Sheffield United and Chris Wilder just need some more points on the board.
11:24 It can't really get any worse.
11:26 And I think Chris Wilder's actually got them playing a little bit better.
11:28 So I think things can only look up for Sheffield United regardless.
11:32 Tottenham now, an interesting one, and also why I've had to slightly re-record this video,
11:36 because Timo Werner's actually joined them now, despite Son Heung-Min going to Asia Cup
11:40 duty.
11:41 They're also losing Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma as well, who are quite big omissions as well.
11:45 But of course, let's talk about Son.
11:47 He's been the focal point of that Spurs attack for many, many years, even when Harry Kane
11:50 was there, of course, because Kane had dropped deep.
11:53 Son had run him behind.
11:54 Son was always at the end of most of the attacks, the one who was tasked with putting the ball
11:57 in the net when he was in the box.
11:59 He is gone.
12:00 And he statistically got the best shot conversion in the league this season with 22%.
12:05 So you cannot say, you can't dress it up that that is not going to be a huge miss for Spurs.
12:09 They've replaced him for the meanwhile, and also for the games continuing until the end
12:13 of the season with a player who isn't really known for his shot conversion in Timo Werner,
12:17 but has similar attributes in terms of being an archetypal roadrunner who can sort of run
12:22 him behind and stretch the pitch and stretch defenders.
12:25 So I actually do think it's a good sign in for Spurs this one.
12:28 And I think, you know, look, after that Chelsea game where Spurs were down to nine men and
12:32 got injuries and, you know, had a very, very depleted squad for certain match days after
12:36 that, they lost a lot of games.
12:38 They're going to have a more depleted squad with these tournaments going on.
12:41 So Posta Coglia and Spurs have just kind of got to ride the wave with this one and stay
12:45 in touching distance to the top four.
12:47 And I think probably given the standard of the league at the moment, I think they'll
12:51 be able to do that.
12:52 But Son, of course, a huge miss.
12:54 West Ham now, this one's actually interesting because Pak Attara has just got injured.
12:58 And of course, now Kudas, who has been for me, possibly the signing of the summer, is
13:02 on Garner duty.
13:04 So that leaves a lot of attacking burden on Jarrod Bowen's very capable shoulders, but
13:09 shoulders nonetheless.
13:10 Of course, Thorne Owls and Benrahma can play out wide as well, but they don't really have
13:13 that X factor that Kudas has showcased that he's got this season for West Ham.
13:17 They're losing Nia Fagerd as well to Monaco, Morocco duty.
13:22 So that is two players, two very good players that West Ham will be missing.
13:25 But David Moyes always seems to find a way and he's really, really performing well this
13:29 season, particularly, you know, with that pivot of Alvarez and Cech and then Ward-Prowse.
13:33 I think they'll be fine.
13:35 But Kudas again, a big, big miss for West Ham.
13:38 And finally Wolves.
13:39 Now they are missing.
13:40 Hwang Hee-chan, who has got 10 Premier League goals this season, which is more than Ollie
13:43 Watkins and Alexander Izak.
13:46 Ollie Watkins, by the way, who, yes, in that Villa video a few weeks ago, I did say was
13:50 world class.
13:51 Again, I apologise.
13:52 I take that back.
13:53 He's a very good player, but again, I need to stop getting carried away.
13:56 Hwang, though, is not far off world class at the moment for Wolves.
13:59 And then you ask the question, well, who replaces that goal scoring prowess?
14:02 Well, he's gone.
14:03 Is it Pedro Neto?
14:04 Well, no, he's got one goal this season.
14:06 He can be good in front of goal, but he's more of a creative outlet for Wolves.
14:09 And then Sascha Klaesic, I think I've said that right, has just gone on loan to Eintracht
14:13 Frankfurt.
14:14 So he was, of course, the tall focal point target man striker in that team who used to
14:18 come on and get a few aerial goals.
14:20 He's gone as well.
14:21 So perhaps for Gary O'Neill, the goals will dry up.
14:24 He's also losing Ryan Aitnori as well, which is a big blow because he is probably their
14:27 best left back.
14:28 It's him and Johnny who rotate in that team.
14:30 However, I think Wolves will be OK.
14:32 Gary O'Neill is doing an amazing job there.
14:33 And he's very pragmatic and very good at stifling opposition team strengths.
14:38 So I think he'll continue doing that and he'll just find a way for the next four games.
14:41 But Wolves, of course, are having a great season, really, given the circumstances.
14:44 I think a lot of people tipped Wolves for relegation at the start of the year.
14:48 And I think they'll be fine, largely because of Juan.
14:50 But yeah, they'll be wanting him to come back very, very soon, as soon as possible, because
14:54 he is a fantastic player.
14:55 Oh, right.
14:56 I've absolutely rattled through that.
14:58 I've gone through every team there.
14:59 That is every player who is going on international duty in the next four or five games.
15:05 So if you support a Premier League team, there you go.
15:07 They're the players who you'll be missing.
15:08 If you support someone like Rayo Vallecano, I don't know why you've watched this video,
15:12 but there we go.
15:13 Anyway, though, you can let me know what team you think will be affected most by the AFCON
15:17 and the Asian Cup in the comments down below.
15:20 Don't forget to subscribe.
15:21 I've been Adam Monk.
15:22 I'll see you very soon.
15:23 Have a lovely day.
15:24 Goodbye.
15:25 Bye.