Chelsea signing Geovany Quenda’s return to the starting lineup after a grueling five-month injury layoff was a sobering reminder of the distance he still has to travel to regain his peak form.
After five months on the sidelines following surgery on a fractured fifth metatarsal, Geovany Quenda spent a significant portion of his recovery at Cobham, working with Chelsea’s medical staff to regain muscle mass and physical sharpness.
This strategic rehabilitation was designed to prepare him for Chelsea, but his initial minutes back in Portugal suggest a player still shaking off considerable match rust.
In recent outings, Quenda has struggled with his rhythm, summed up by lapses in possession and a lack of clinical edge in the final third.
While his ceiling remains huge, these early performances underline the reality that his recovery is a process of regaining confidence and timing after such a prolonged absence.
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Geovany Quenda makes his first start after injury for Sporting
Portuguese outlet A Bola gave Geovany Quenda a rating of 5 out of 10 for his performance in a 0-0 draw with Porto during the week.
Returned to the starting line-up after five months and a prolonged absence that included an operation on the fifth metatarsal of his right foot and a recovery in London. And it was noted that he is still very far from the best form, losing many balls and not hitting one (26′) that could very well have scored.
Even Quenda’s performance against Arsenal was disappointing, struggling to hold onto the ball on that occasion too in the Champions League.
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Quenda’s stats against Porto
Quenda played 80 minutes against Porto. He had just 30 touches, a passing accuracy percentage of 86, completed one out of three accurate crosses, made one block, one recovery, one clearance, won two out of his four duels and won two fouls (as per FotMob).
The signing of Quenda is no doubt a promising one, but it begs the question as to whether he’ll fall under the similar category of unproven talent that doesn’t help Chelsea until he develops.
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