Lately, it seems International Friendlies serve one purpose, not for experimentation, not for form, not even for fitness, but simply to accumulate injuries. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain’s tournament looked in danger after a collision with an Ecuador player in a recent friendly, while Romelu Lukaku limped out of Belgium’s friendly with Tunisia. Both luckily, are no worse than doubts for their country’s opener. Some, such as Germany’s Marco Reus, haven’t been so fortunate. The tournament has lost a host of stars to injuries of all kind, here I assess the impact the loss of each player will have on their team.

Marco Reus (Germany)

Partial Ligament Tear

This was going to be Marco Reus’ tournament. He had already been heavily backed to be both the Tournament’s top scorer and it’s player of the tournament. Joachim Loew had experimented with a false nine system in recent friendlies, trying to get the best out of the Borussia Dortmund forward, that was until an ill-fated collision with an Armenian defender ended his hopes of firing the Germans to success this summer. While he wont be breathing any sighs of relief, Loew will have been well aware the Germans weren’t performing to full capacity in the aforementioned system. Any team would obviously miss a player of Marco Reus’ calibre, but importantly, the blow is not fatal. The Germans are well equipped with a Plan B in the shape of record goalscorer Miroslav Klose, who will probably replace Mario Gotze as the most advanced attacker.

On the wing, Reus’ direct replacement is likely to be Andre Schurrle, who could be in for a big tournament, his direct running and pace are the closest replica the Germans have in their ranks. Another option is the reliable Lukas Podolski, who has an impressive scoring record for his country, but can’t run at full backs the way Schurrle and Reus do. Reus is undoubtedly a loss, to both Germany and the tournament, however the injury enables Loew to implement the tried and tested target man formula, which has brought success on the attacking front in tournaments gone by. Such a fantastic player to watch in full flight, Reus will be missed by Germans and neutrals alike, but importantly, Die Adler without Reus will be worse off, but should not be written off.

Radamel Falcao (Colombia)

Knee injury

El Tigre, as he is commonly known, was ready to fire Colombia to glory in Brazil. Tearing up Ligue 1, after tearing up the Portuguese and Spanish leagues before that, Colombia had one of the world’s most feared strikers in their ranks. Those tipping Colombia to take the tournament by storm, however, were forced to reconsider,after a knee injury ended his chances of representing his country. After time to take in and consider the form of alternatives, a strong argument has emerged that Colombia, will in fact be better off without the hitman. Whether this will be the case, I can’t say for sure, but I do know in the shape of Carlos Bacca (who you can read more on here), they have a more than capable replacement.

The like for like replacement, Jackson Martinez, is expected to be snubbed in favour of the Seville forward, due to the more accomplished link up play possessed by the Europa League winner, highlighting the shortcomings in Falcao. Again, like Reus, Falcao is a big miss. Lethal in the box, he never needs a second chance, but Bacca’s inclusion in the team, at his expense, enables others to express themselves in a more positive, independent manner and will mean Colombia are less reliant on just one player. Colombia will still be a force to be reckoned with at this summer’s event, and despite the loss of the Monaco forward, supporters still have plenty of reason for optimism.

Kevin Strootman (Holland)

Knee injury

Best to cut to the chase with this one, Strootman is an absolutely massive loss for the Oranje. So big, Van Gaal has had to change his entire system simply to cater for life without the midfielder. He believes the Dutch don’t have a like for like replacement for the midfielder who has occupied the Mirror’s transfer gossip column for the past month with links to Man United. An already tough task, getting out of the group has become markedly tougher, and I feel the Dutch will struggle greatly to cope without the Roma man.

His breaking up of play, recycling of possession, and dynamism is second to none, and is something the Dutch simply can’t turn to someone else for. Arguably the most significant injury to any team in the tournament, due to the lack of a natural replacement, the Netherlands are probably facing a group stage exit this summer.

Franck Ribery (France)

Back injury

Platini, Zidane… Ribery? You think of the greats who have carried France to success in international football, Franck Ribery isn’t really one of them. Never really taking the role by the scruff of the neck, he’s always struggled to reproduce his club form on the international scene. His injury coming so late in the day, is obviously a blow which gives Deschamps little time to evaluate alternatives, but France are still a formidable outfit without the Bayern winger.

While France can’t replace Ribery’s talent with one individual player, the loss of the winger will put the onus on someone else to be the star man, and will allow the team to perform as one solid unit, without one player demanding the ball. Whether it’s Paul Pogba, Karim Benzema, or Antoine Griezmann who steps up is irrelevant, because the important thing is the opportunity is there, and the players know it. The tournament will feel like the dawn of a new era for the French squad, someone, if not two or three of them, will sense the opportunity, and the absence of such a dominating presence on the pitch, and possibly an inhibitor in the dressing room, will give licence to that player to take the initiative, and carry the mantle for his Les Bleus. Talent wise, he’s irreplaceable, effect wise, an opportunity has arisen for the French squad to prove they can be just as good, if not better without their alleged talisman. Ribery’s injury is a blow, but not fatal.

Riccardo Montolivo (Italy)

Broken Leg

The AC Milan star, who shone so brightly at Euro 2012, was almost reduced to tears as he left the pitch against the Republic of Ireland, his leg broken, his tournament in tatters. Cesare Prandelli spoke of the significance of the injury, claiming ”everyone is broken”, and highlighting that he is as big an influence in the dressing room as he is on the pitch. A massive loss without question, Montolivo, like pretty much every other Italian is replaceable, due to the vast array of talent at their disposal. Giuseppe Rossi looked the ideal man to fill the void behind Balotelli left by Montolivo, but his omission from the final squad suggests Prandelli has something else in mind, likely to be in the shape of one of Marco Veratti, Antonio Cassano, or Ciro Immobile, who won’t have done himself any harm in a recent friendly, bagging himself a hat trick. Italy can cope without Montolivo perhaps better than any other team can cope with such a significant injury, but his loss, both on and off the pitch, will certainly be felt.

Other Injuries

Many other sides have seen key players fall victim to serious injuries, Russia will have to make do without the class and guile of captain Roman Shirokov after he failed to shrug off an injury, while Belgian hopes will be reliant on Romelu Lukaku after Christian Benteke ruptured his achilles towards the end of the Premier League season. Costa Rica will be without full back Bryan Oviedo, while despite not yet imposing themselves on their respective national sides, the losses of Germany’s Ilkay Gundogan and Spain’s Thiago Alacantara will be sorely felt.

The build up to the tournament has been marred by injuries, so let’s hope, for the sake of a World Cup to remember for all the right reasons, we’ve seen the last of them.