da betsson： Louis Saha scored four goals against Blackpool on Saturday as Everton beat Blackpool 5-3. This showed what a really great player he can be on his day. Looking back on his career, I wonder what he could have achieved if the French striker had stayed fit. Sadly though, he will never be as good as he might have been because of his injuries and will be remembered along with the likes of Michael Owen as a player whose fitness hampered a potentially great career. After all, who gets injured as often as Louis Saha?
da dobrowin： People may have had worse injuries that have caused them to quit the game, but few have had as frequent and as varied injuries as Louis Saha. Back, knee, hamstring, calf – Saha has done them all, and it begs the question; are his legs made of glass?
Saha began his career at ambitious Fulham and showed his potential and ability before being signed by Manchester United for £12.8m. Despite a bright start at Old Trafford, his career became riddled with injuries in the 2004–05, 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons.
In Saha’s five seasons at Old Trafford, he featured in only 86 games, and scored a respectable 28 goals. Many of these appearances were as a substitute while trying to return to fitness. But when fit he was good; Saha scored 15 goals in 2005–06 and his partnership with Wayne Rooney as well as his own goal scoring form were part of the reason why Sir Alex Ferguson allowed Ruud van Nistelrooy to leave for Real Madrid. He also represented France during this period and scored 4 times. Saha showed his class and displayed a good goal scoring record against the bigger clubs too, but never managed to put a few seasons together and become the great player he could have been at United.
When Saha joined Everton it was a bit of a gamble from David Moyes as his fitness was unknown. He played on a ‘pay-as-you-play’ deal because of his reputation, but he managed to prove his fitness over the next two years where he played quite regularly. With a fit Saha Everton did well in the Premier League, finishing 5th in 08-09. When he doesn’t play Everton miss him and they have been overly reliant this year on goals from Tim Cahill in midfield. They will welcome his return to fitness and form. Moyes’s gamble on Saha has paid off but he probably still needs a second striker, I don’t think Jermaine Beckford is ready to lead the front line quite yet, though he is showing promise.
Saha’s lack of fitness must have been frustrating for his fans but even more so for Louis himself, and I am as happy as anyone to see him back playing regularly and now scoring. I hope he stays fit this year and builds on the 6 Premier League goals he has now notched up, to back up the 14 he scored last year. He is definitely Everton’s answer if he starts firing. He might be 32 but I imagine he is still hungry for football as he has missed out on so much, so injuries aside, he could play for another few years.
The fact that he has maintained a good scoring record despite the constant interruptions from injuries shows what a good player he is, but let’s not get carried away. Before this weekend he had only scored 2 times in 17 appearances, he shows glimpses of the player he could have been but is by no means that player at the moment. Like David Moyes said after his 4 goals against Blackpool, on his day he is “unstoppable”, personally I don’t think there are many in the division as dangerous from 18 yards as Saha, but his day has not come enough this season.
He will be remembered as one of the most injury prone players in the last ten years of the Premiership along with Hargreaves, Rosicky and Kieron Dyer, but like I said at the beginning, who else gets injured as often as Louis Saha?
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