Davide Zappacosta ruled out with calf injury

The only thing worse for muscles and ligaments and various other soft tissues than overuse, is underuse, especially when it’s followed by strenuous activity. It’s a tricky balance, proper loading, and injuries can often result from too much — or too little — specific — or general — activity.

So it’s perhaps not surprising that Davide Zappacosta has picked up a calf injury for AS Roma, barely a couple weeks after joining on loan from Chelsea. He was set for his first start on Sunday, in the Derby di Roma against Lazio, but just like Pedro did for Chelsea a couple weeks ago, pulled up lame just minutes before kick-off. For Zappacosta, it would’ve been just his 5th start and 10th appearance in all competitions for Chelsea and Roma combined in 2019.

Now, he’s set to miss at least 3-4 weeks with the grade II strain, adding to the Giallorossi’s injury problems at the position.

Zappacosta may not ever play for Chelsea again — his loan is officially just six months, but Roma have definite designs of extending that and then ideally making it permanent next summer — but we wish him a speedy recovery just the same.