Can Eduardo Come Back from Horrible Injury?

Many people have been asking this season whether Eduardo can come back from the horrific injury he suffered against Birmingham in 2008 that threatened his career.

The comeback would involve not only playing, but also regaining the form that had begun to make him a key feature at Arsenal. The question is highly pertinent as Arsenal face Birmingham this weekend—with Eduardo likely to be featured.

He has made 30 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions this season—although many have been from the substitutes bench. Arsene Wenger appears to have eased him back into the side slowly—probably to take any pressure off him.

Initially, it seemed all was well—with Eduardo apparently scoring freely. However, the return was soon beset with a series of niggling injuries.

After each injury, Eduardo returned a little less sharp—and apparently, a little slower. The most recent injury—a hamstring problem incurred at Aston Villa—kept him out for more than a month.

Issues

There are two issues that Eduardo and Wenger need to address: Is Eduardo mentally ready to return to top-flight action? And is he still physically capable of playing at the highest level?

Both issues can seriously impact a player's effectiveness on the team.

Mentally, Eduardo seems to have put the incident behind him. Certainly he will not face Martin Taylor again—the player who inflicted the injury—because he has been released to lower league football. That alone may help him face this upcoming match.

However, it has been noted that upon occasion this season, Eduardo has pulled out of some challenges that, prior to his injury, he may have carried through.

This is not every game, of course, but there's no doubt the incident plays on his mind sometimes—particularly in hard-fought contests, such as against Stoke.

The fear of physical injury also appears to be somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophesy, with minor knocks and muscle strains keeping him out of the team—or reducing his appearances to short substitutions.

Could the fear of injury be causing Eduardo to train insufficiently? It's speculation, but it's a possible cause of the minor strains that seem to be plaguing him.

Confidence

Oddly, although Eduardo is a full five years older than Nicklas Bendtner, Eduardo could learn something from him about the effect of confidence upon performance.

Bendtner has returned from a number of relatively minor injuries with confidence greater than ever—and it appears to be rewarding him in the right way: with goals.

Eduardo's confidence does not appear to be as high as it was before the ankle break that sidelined his career for a year—unsurprising perhaps, but confidence is one of the first tools out of the bag for the successful striker.

In the End

Eduardo has made a stuttering return so far—but he needs a confidence boost to help him return to his previous best. Wenger and the coaching staff have a significant role to play in that—but only Eduardo really knows how he feels when he walks onto the pitch.

In the end, Arsenal fans can only hope that Eduardo overcomes his issues when it counts.