da fazobetai： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
da 888casino： If you had concerns over the fitness of Raul Jimenez they’d be entirely justified.
The bustling Mexican has had a brutal 2019 and heading into Wolves’ match with Bournemouth this weekend, he’ll have played a whopping 58 times.
During that period the £31.5m-rated striker has netted 32 goals in what has undoubtedly been the best form of his career to date.
The forward struggled to hit the ground running in the top-flight this term, finding the back of the net just twice in his opening eight matches. However, he’s looked rejuvenated in recent weeks, scoring three in four outings.
He’s firmly back to his best after a campaign where he finished as Wolves’ top scorer.
But of the 30 goals he’s scored in the old gold, only two of those have come after an international break. Since he arrived in England, there have been seven if you include the one we’re currently witnessing.
The 28-year-old’s form and indeed Wolves’ paints a worrying picture after these breaks take place.
From six matches played after their players have been on international duty, they’ve won just once and conceded a huge 12 goals.
Five of those came this season in what was a rare thrashing at the hands of Chelsea. Their only win was after their first break back in the Premier League – a 1-0 victory over Burnley in September 2018.
Coincidentally, that is the only time Jimenez has scored after being away with Mexico. The forward scored against Southampton in a 1-1 draw after October’s break but fortunately, he’d been granted rest and didn’t travel to play for his country.
Ex-Wolves physio Paul Darby expects Jimenez to be fit enough for this weekend but he will once again have been through a rigorous two weeks.
He’ll return on Thursday and it’s expected it’ll take a full 48 hours for him to recover, just in time for their meeting with Eddie Howe’s men.
However, it takes 12 hours to travel from Mexico City to Birmingham International, something that could leave Jimenez fatigued.
This has clearly been the case in the past where Nuno decided against fielding him in a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Burnley back in March.
Given the number of games he’s played this calendar year, the fear of burnout is a rightful one. There has been a recurring theme when it’s come to Wolves’ and Jimenez’s poor form after international breaks.
They’ll be hoping and praying it doesn’t continue.