Well, I would be if I were one of those players having to play tonight and some nutter came sliding in towards me with a hard tackle in mind! We cannot afford any more injuries and the loss of any of the players mentioned below would be just awful. It doesn’t even bare thinking about!
Even Sir Bobby Pires is concerned for us, but still believes we have enough strength and depth to get through this tough time.
These are tonight’s fixtures:-
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying
France v Rep of Ireland
Slovenia v Russia
International Match – Well, poxy friendly matches
Austria v Spain
Germany v Ivory Coast
My calculation is that’s Gallas, Sagna, Nasri, Arshavin, Eboue and Fabregas all possibly, even probably involved in a match tonight. Eboue and Cesc are playing in worthless friendly matches!
I just hope both Cesc and Eboue don’t even play tonight. Yes, even Eboue. I think Arson will play him at RB and move Sagna to LB if Gibbs injury is a bad as we fear. Some of the news this morning reports that Gibbs injury is suspected to be a broken metatarsal!
Here is the current injury list from afc.com – I guess though we can add Gibbs to that list!
Robin Van Persie
Nicklas Bendtner
Carlos Vela
Theo Walcott
Denilson
Armand Traore
Gael Clichy
Lukasz Fabianski
Jack Wilshere
Johan Djourou
Abou Diaby
I make that twelve players now out injured, and that’s before any match kicks off tonight. I am just glad Belgium and The Czech Republic aren’t playing as well! In fact I don’t think either have qualified either so Vermaelen and Rosicky will both have a good rest next summer!
Some of those injured are supposed to be back in training this week, but I can’t see Arson saying anything other than ‘they are a little bit short’ for the Sunderland game. I guess we will know more in his pre-match interview at the end of the week.
Talking of Arson, he has confirmed that Denilson will be player to fill the void left by Song during the ACON. On afc.com he said despite Nasri being perfectly able to play in that role, it would be Denilson as Nasri is ‘more attracted to the offensive side of the game’.
There was me hoping he would say something like ‘When Song leaves us in January, I have a deal in place that will mean a new player will be joining Arsenal on the first day of the new transfer season, he will fill that role’
It’s good to dream 😛
Personally I would be very happy in we nipped in a bought Mahamadou Diarra from Real Madrid, he is supposedly one of six players to be sold off in January. Only problem with him though is he will also be at the ACON.
Mind you how good are Mali? – He could be ready to play in the third week of January 😉
For those who missed it, check out BBCi for Silent Stan – get to know all about Stan Kroenke!
Someone on the show said ‘If he invests it’s for a winner, if he buys in it, he invests in it’
But its football you guys, football – Not bloomin Soccer….!!
That’s all folks – just think, tomorrow the international break is over, our players will be on their way back ‘home’ to London. Then we will know which players are in and which are out for the trip up north.
Fingers and toes crossed for tonight!!
avenell
JonJon
Morning Roadsters
Cant wait for this break to be over and get back to proper footie again…
I had a dream last night, well more like a nightmare. It played on my mind I got up at 5am as I couldn’t get back to sleep.
We were playing Chelsea, Eduardo had just scored to make it 4-1! Sadly though that is the only goal we scored and lost…
I don’t know about any of you, but my dreams don’t come true… 😉
Almunia
Eboue TV Gallas Sagna
Cesc Song Rosicky
Nasri Eduardo Arshavin
Thats not a bad starting eleven for the trip to Sunderland…
Go for the green lights … but you must keep out of red light districts
In an in-depth interview, the Gunners boss uncovers how he teaches his young side to play what is universally regarded as the best football in the land.
For many purists, only European champions Barcelona are as pleasing on the eye as Wenger’s Arsenal.
Spectacular combinations based on speed of body and mind, together with technical ability and power, have made the North Londoners the nation’s favourite second team.
This season, more than any other since the Invincibles of 2003-04, Wenger’s Gunners seem to be mounting a quietly confident title challenge – lying in the slipstream of leaders Chelsea.
With 36 League goals in 11 games they have scored seven more than the Blues and 13 more than Manchester United – even though they have played one game less.
Wenger’s blueprint is based on intelligence, class, technique, and fitness. But the key ingredient is confidence, which makes individuals comfortable on the ball.
His players must always have choices and alternatives, which provide “solutions”.
The legendary French boss has revolutionised the English game since arriving from Japan 13 years ago, changing dietary and training habits as well as the lifestyle of the top professionals.
But it is Arsenal’s brand of football that is Wenger’s biggest achievement.
The ‘Arsenal way’ is based on off-the-ball movement, with the main objective being to give the man on the ball as many alternatives as possible. Those solutions, as Wenger calls them, mean endless problems for Arsenal’s rivals.
When he teaches his charges, Wenger uses what he calls “green lights” and “red lights” to show where his players must be when Arsenal are in possession.
Of course, like any teacher, he wants his pupils to stay well clear of the “red light” districts on the pitch.
Essentially, when an Arsenal player has the ball there must at least two possible passes he can make – the so-called green lights – and so on and so forth.
He said: “We work a lot on the potential of combinations between players. We plot it on the pitch and, once a player has the ball, there are red lights or green lights.
“The collective goal is to create the most possible green lights.
“That is to say to give passing solutions to the man with the ball and to leave the responsibility with that man to make the best choice possible, allowing the team to keep possession but at the same time – if possible – make the game progress towards the attack.
“So you must always offer the player solutions that allow him to utilise his intelligence around the game to the maximum.”
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The Arsenal boss, 60, accepts his biggest challenge as boss of a team that plays the ‘Wenger way’ is to prepare his team mentally.
Over the last few years, a lot has been made of the mental fragility of his Gunners side.
Critics have argued that, while they may be easy on the eye, they are also easy to disrupt.
The way Arsenal collapsed in last season’s Champions League semi-final against Manchester United is a case in point.
Their confidence was shattered after the Red Devils grabbed a two-goal lead inside 10 minutes in the second leg – and one of the biggest games in Arsenal’s history turned into a procession for United.
Speaking on French radio, Wenger continued: “For it to work, players must make themselves available and we work on that in training.
“That’s where top-level sport becomes really interesting, in finding a way to have the team in a position of psychological comfort so that they can offer solutions.
“Because you know that, when doubt creeps in, the green lights become red lights.
“Because each player takes fewer spontaneous initiatives and, all of a sudden, it’s absolutely unbelievable at what speed all those lights become red and the player with the ball finds himself in the s***.
“Doubt is the key enemy of our game but, eventually, we must at the same time give our team the sense of availability.
“And, on a psychological level, we must give them a taste for audacity and for developing connections between each other.”
Wenger insisted that to maintain the quality of Arsenal’s game, he simply cannot afford to make too many changes or bring in too many players at once.
During the summer, only Thomas Vermaelen was brought in to bolster the Gunners’ first-team squad.
He concluded: “When you change more than three players from game to game you take a technical risk.
“The balance of a team doesn’t depend on one player but if you change three it’s a grave risk, not only in a game but also in signing players.
“You change three players and bring in three or four new faces who do not know your playing philosophy and it can hit your team like the flu.
“Sometimes when the players are extremely intelligent they adapt very quickly and it can also click very quickly. But it’s rare.”
It’ll be lonely this Christmas 😉
We should be scouting Asia for new players
Juninho of Kawasaki Frontale is just awesome, he is TH14 in disguise….
An older version I must add 😦
Im off, catch you later..
hello rico…
that does look a long injury list…but i dont think its as bad as some people are making out..
only rvp and clichy are the first teamers..everyone else on that list ae squad players or backup players…
the majority of the first team are fully fit…which is a good thing..
clichy hasnt been playing great and robin although playing well hadnt scored in our last two matches and we still won both games 4-1…
when our injury list starts to read:
rvp
AK
cesc
rosicky
nasri
TV
Gallas
thats when we start to panic i feel….sunderland will be a big test but that group of players can beat sunderland…
chelsea have worse injuries..they have drogba, lumpy, cole, botswinga…i bet chelsea wish they had 12 backup players injured instead of those four…
Hi JoJon
So you have finally come to agree with me then… Nikki B is not a first team player 😛 😉 😉
Up your bum Rafa
Striker Eduardo has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal.
😛
I only see that Cashley and Boswinger will be out for our game, I reckon Drogba, Lumpy and Ballack and all just having a rest.
That’s the way to lift Eduardo before the Sunderland game.
Hi London, Lumps is definately out, Boswinga too – Cashley I think will be back
WOOOP WOOOOOP
Gibbs has a bruised ankle, NO BREAK 😛
Hi Rico
Do you know what has happened to Ave? Is he having a break or has he called it a day?
Ave is having a break London, added to that he has been a tad poorly – i think its commonly known as ‘Man Flu’ 😉
He will be back soon London, honest 😉
But I am off for the night….
Be good all 😉
Wooooooooo
Arshavin is out of World Cup
Poor Russia! That’s SO sad! :S
We have chances of watching Argelia v Bosnia and don’t see Arshavin playing … So sad for the russian ppl and for us, gooners.
Most women do not realise just how debilitating man flu is.
Oh dea TH14 – that stain will be with you for the rest of your career……. I don’t expect Irish’s reaction will be printable! 😦
I’m in favour of video technology for important games … the Ireland game should be replayed ….. Michael Owen hand balled for pool in a similar way against us in the FA cup final and got away with it
Its the supporters that suffer – win or lose its us that feel aggrieved when something like that happens.
The worse thing is that we’d be laughing if a lesser player handballed against the chavs or the mancs to score a goal. But for our Thierry to knowingly keep a ball in with his hand…….
Football can be very cruel……..
what theirry did was cheating…but i asked myself if i played for my country, and it was a playoff to qualify for a world cup, and it was extra time and you needed a goal, and the goal was there but the ball was getting away from me, would i do the same thing..????the answer is yes…
ireland were robbed…no doubt about it but cheating happens all the time in football but its never brought up properly until something like this happens….handballs, dives, time wasting, fake injuries…its all cheating and it happens all over the pitch but when it comes to a major fuck up everyone kicks off…the refs have to hold their hands up cos they are shit at all levels this year..ive never seen more odd decisions than i have this season than any other put together…
the ref and the linesman should get a rollocking for that….the initial cross from the freekick was offside and then they missed the handball…i wouldnt even mind but he was allowed to travel about two yards with the ball in his palm
no doubt theirry will get some stick for this but great players do things like this from time to time, maradona did it…at the end off the day i think its the refs jobs to catch them out when they try this stuff…
and whilest we are talking about henry i think his legs have gone..and he is nowhere near the standard required to play in our current team..ive watched the last few games hes played in now and i think his games gone to the shits…i dont even think he gets in the barca team anymore..some kid from the youth team plays upfront with messi and ibra and hes been hitting the net too…
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