It’s all about pride – final match preview 2010/11

Fulham vs Arsenal

Craven Cottage

Sunday 22nd May, 1600 KO 

Referee: Martin Atkinson

Five points from our last 6 games places us 18th in the Premier League form table. Far from the form of champions; it is more like the form of a side threatened by relegation. So, does it matter what happens tomorrow? We are guaranteed champions league football, so who cares about finishing 3rd as opposed to 4th? I hope that this is not the mentality that the players have. It does matter. It is almost irrelevant in terms of our success this year. But it is highly relevant in terms of our pride as a football club. We, as fans, need to see the desire to win, even if there is nothing to play for. We need to see that the players want to win, even if all is lost. This is the mentality that is lacking from the squad. When things don’t go our way, it often seems like the players cannot respond and lack the hunger and desire to drive the team back into contention. We have seen this countless times this season. I also want to see my team go out on a high. We have endured yet another frustrating end to the season, so a win on the last day of the season will help remind us of the positives.

Bear in mind that Arsenal could win this game but still come 4th. Man City play Bolton at the Reebok, having recently won the FA Cup and defeated Stoke 3-0 on Tuesday, which propelled them into third place.

Fulham still have 7th place to fight for, which would equal their best ever Premier League position (under Roy Hodgson). They could also qualify for the Europa League through the Respect Fair Play rankings. Let’s hope that if Arsenal do come fourth, they won’t be playing Fulham in Europe next season! Finishing in fourth place would mean that Arsenal would have to win a tricky qualifier to make it to the group stages, or we could face a season in the Europa League.

Stats

Arsenal and Fulham have played 48 games against each other. Arsenal have won 34 times, Fulham 7 and there have been 7 draws.

Arsenal won 2-1 at home earlier this season, with Nasri grabbing both goals. However, this time around, both Samir and Arsenal are in relatively poor form.

Samir Nasri has scored just twice in the league since the two sides met in December.

If RVP scores, he will equal the record number of league goals scored since 1st January (18 goals, record held by Henry and Ronaldo).

Almost a third (30%) of Fulham’s goals have come from headers, the highest proportion in the league. Arsenal have conceded over half their goals from set pieces, and over a quarter of their goals from headers.

Arsenal have only won 19 league matches this season. In the last 13 seasons, Arsenal have only failed to win 20 games once, in 2006/07.

Arsenal’s away form isn’t terrible – 8 wins, 6 draws and 4 defeats. It was the best away form in the league up until a few weeks ago.

Form

Arsenal – DDLWLL (18th in the Premier League form table)

Fulham – LDWWLW (6th in the Premier League form table)

Predicted Team

Fabregas has been ruled out as he has suffered another setback with his injury. Nasri, Clichy and Diaby all face late fitness tests while Djourou is a major doubt. Koscielny should return following his absence last week against Villa.

Predicted Result

1-2 victory for Arsenal

At the risk of sounding optimistic, I reckon Arsenal will nick the win. Three defeats in a row would be something of a meltdown. Although Arsenal’s season has staggered to an undesirable halt, I don’t feel that the doom and gloom surrounding the club is necessary. However, the relationship between the fans and the club/manager/players seems to be at an all-time low. We need to see some great away support and plenty of effort from the players. It is possible that Wenger will start some of his squad players, like Bendtner and Rosicky, but this seems unlikely as I doubt he will want to suffer backlash should we fail to win.

Bolton vs Arsenal – Match Preview

Neither Arsenal nor Bolton are in particularly strong form going into this game, with both teams looking to bounce back from disappointing results this week (in Bolton’s case a 5-0 defeat to Stoke in the FA Cup semi final). The draw against Spurs has seen Arsenal lose further ground on Manchester United, and the club has even overtaken by Chelsea. The Gunners have only won 2 of their last 10 games – the only wins coming against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup, and 2 weeks ago against Blackpool. Nevertheless, Arsenal have won 14 of the 23 games against Bolton in the Premier League, with wins in all of the last 8, so the chances of a win for Owen Coyle’s team are very slim.

Today, Manchester United extended their lead at the top of the table to 9 points. A late Hernandez goal secured yet another home victory for the Red Devils. Fergie’s team have turned Old Trafford into a fortress (winning 16 of their 17 games this season), whereas the Emirates is far from the safe haven that it has been in previous seasons. We have already lost to Newcastle, West Brom and Spurs. The good news is that we head to the Reebok Stadium with the knowledge that we have by far the best away record in the league.

Chelsea also have a superior home record this season, and Fernando Torres helped them to a victory over West Ham which moves them three points above us. Yes – I have double-checked, and Torres has scored a legitimate goal. However, £50 million still looks ridiculously stupid when you consider that Maxi Rodriguez scored a hat-trick today.

Interviewed after the Spurs game Wenger said:

“We have to get ready for the next game and fight as we do. This team has a remarkable attitude. We are on a 16-game unbeaten run [in the league], but recently we haven’t got enough points because of too many draws.”

Recent league form:

Arsenal-DDDWDD      Bolton-WDWLLW

Team News:

The chances are that there will only be one change from the team that played against Spurs. Abou Diaby is injured, so Jack Wilshere, who started on the bench on Wednesday, will probably return to the starting line-up.

I have named the team for tomorrow, and therein lies the problem. I already know the team, and Owen Coyle knows the team. The team never changes. The line-up is almost always the same and Wenger is not flexible with the formation. Occasionally Wenger is forced to make changes if we have injuries or suspensions.

Since Robin Van Persie returned from injury, Nicklas Bendtner and Marouane Chamakh haven’t had many opportunities in the starting line-up. In fact, Chamakh wasn’t even on the bench against Tottenham. Bendtner and Arshavin normally feature towards the end of the game – introduced at around 80 minutes – and have little or no effect.

 

Prediction 1-1

The team is just a bit too predictable. We aren’t anywhere near as difficult to play against this season as we have been in previous years. All it takes is a scrappy goal against our less-than-satisfactory defence and teams feel that they can get a point (or maybe more). The side has not been particularly strong in recent weeks and will be low on confidence  following the draw at White Heart Lane. Hopefully, they will go out tomorrow and prove me wrong.

It’s about time that Wenger made some changes to the squad

Almuina's time at the club is coming to an end

Firstly, I would like to apologise for the lack of recent updates on Straight Talking Gooners. The team was dumped out of the FA Cup, Carling Cup and Champions League in quick succession, and then had a 2 week international break. As a result Arsenal news has significantly dried up in the last few weeks, not to mention that the STG editorial team has been extremely busy with University/A level work. Home for the holidays, I have now set myself the challenge of making 10 posts in 10 days as I look to feed your hunger for information on “by far the greatest team the world has ever seen.”

Today I start with a small rant about the lack of experience of some members of the squad. There are definitely a few players who do not possess the qualities necessary to play week-in week-out for a club like Arsenal. Today I will talk about 5 players that Wenger should consider offloading during the summer.

1. Manuel Almunia – Need I elaborate? Since Jens Lehmann left the club, Wenger has not really had a goalkeeper who has looked completely comfortable between the sticks. Szczesny and Fabianski have both had their occasional weak moments, but Almunia’s blunders put him at the top of my list. Almunia has the strange ability to be outstanding for one game (such as when he replaced Sczcesny within the first 15 minutes of the Barcelona game), but has cost us several games with ridiculous mistakes.
2. Squillaci – Sebastian was never supposed to play this many games. He was bought as defensive cover, a 4th choice centre-back who would only play when we have injury problems. Laurent Koscielny looked set to compete with Johan Djourou for a place to partner Thomas Vermaelen. However, a long-term injury to Vermaelen means that Squillaci has now made 29 appearances. The Frenchman has put in some dismal performances, rarely showing the pace or composure that is necessary in the Premier League.
3. Denilson – I have never really rated our young Brazillian as a holding midfielder (which is where Wenger normally plays him) because he does not possess the most important qualities needed to play in this position. He is unable to hold the ball. He gives possession away with unnecessary passes and is caught in possession on too many occasions. Simply put, he would be a decent midfielder for other Premier League clubs, but not for a club challenging for the title.
4. Diaby – This choice may surprise Arsenal fans, as Diaby has put in some strong performances for the starting eleven. However, it seems to me that he is prone to injury and, like Denilson, gives the ball away on too many opportunities. He doesn’t score enough goals as his finishing is awful, and he doesn’t seem to have a position in which he is entirely comfortable.
5. Rosicky – Since returning from a long-term hamstring injury, Tomas has looked a shadow of his former self. A once fantastic attacking midfielder, his performances have lacked the spark and attacking flair that we have seen in previous seasons.

Arsenal vs Blackburn: Match Preview

Has Wenger lost his mind?

How can Wenger possibly justify keeping Almunia in goal for today’s match instead of playing veteran Jens Lehmann? The gunners haven’t featured for two weeks (due to the international break), but surely Wenger hasn’t forgotten the ridiculous blunder that cost us vital points at West Brom? It makes no sense.

Calling it a mistake would be wrong. That would imply that it was simply an error and that what Almunia intended to do was vaguely sensible. It was worse than when people bring their goalkeepers out really far on FIFA just to annoy you. Nonsensical and unnecessary.

Bearing in mind how many opportunities we have wasted this season, I am genuinely surprised that we are only 5 points behind the league leaders.  The only explanation I have is that the other teams challenging for the title have been equally inefficient. However, by the time we kick off at 3pm, we could be 8 points behind Manchester United. United have an early kick-off against West Ham, and I will be hoping for a major slip-up.

Rant over, I will now focus on 3 positives going into this game:

1) Theo Walcott, who has been out for around 6 weeks with an ankle injury, is back in the squad. Abou Diaby, Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song are also fit. RVP and Bendtner have both shaken off injuries picked up on international duty. Our team has been suffering from the absence of Walcott and Fabregas, so it is important to have them both fit at such a crucial part of the season.

2) We are currently unbeaten in 12 games and have won the last 7 home games against Blackburn. Hopefully today won’t change these statistics.

3)   Blackburn currently sit 19^th in the Premier League form guide, taking 2 points from their last 6 games. If we can’t get 3 points, we honestly don’t deserve to take the title.

Team Prediction:

—————–Almunia—————–

Sagna—Koscielny—Squillaci—Clichy

——————-Song——————–

———-Diaby————Fabregas——

Nasri————–RVP———Arshavin

I expect Arshavin to start ahead of Walcott, purely because Walcott has not had any games for several weeks and may be lacking in fitness. Wenger will probably bring him on so that we can utilise his pace mid-way through the second half. Squillaci partners Koscielny in defence because Johan Djourou is injured. I don’t think Wilshere will play because Wenger was quoted yesterday saying that he was worried that Wilshere will suffer burnout from playing too many games.

Predicted Score: 2-1 – Home win

I am not going to predict a big win for Arsenal because I can see this being a much closer game than we expect. Maybe a late winner from Nicklas Bendtner?

Injury update: Fabregas ruled out of Carling Cup final

Despite comments made on Twitter yesterday, it would seem that Cesc might as well just give up and get some much needed sleep. No amount of training or exercise will help him to heal in time for the game on Sunday against Birmingham and Wenger has officially ruled El Capitán out of the Carling Cup final. Our inflential midfielder will therefore be unable to lead the team out at Wembley as they look to win their first major trophy for 6 seasons.

“It is a very small injury but certainly Cesc will be out for Sunday… For how long [beyond that] I don’t know. He is disappointed. We all feel sorry and sad for him. The only way we help him now is to win the Carling Cup as he contributed a lot in this competition.”

Whether Fabregas will be fit again in time for the second leg of the Barcelona tie in 10 days time is up for some debate. Wenger would not give too much information when questioned about how long Cesc would be sidelined for saying “It is very difficult to give a deadline. It is impossible.” However, club physio Juan Ferrando, said: “In principle, he has a micro-fracture and may play in the Nou Camp on 8 March without problems.”

The other bad news is that Theo Walcott has a sprained ankle and will be out for up to two weeks. This means that he definitely misses the Birmingham game, and is a major doubt for the Champions League clash at the Nou Camp and our FA Cup quarter final match against Manchester United (should we beat Leyton Orient in the fifth round replay).

Now onto the good news. Abou Diaby returns from a three game suspension, as do both Laurent Koscielny and Robin Van Persie, having recovered form minor injuries. All three will be be included in the squad for Sunday. Despite the absence of Fabregas and Walcott, a team that includes Samir Nasri, Jack Wilshere, Alex Song, Andrei Arshavin and Van Persie (who will probably wear the captain’s armband) should be more than capable of leading us to Carling Cup glory.

Arsenal vs Barcelona

Gunners face tough Champions League test

This is the third time that Arsenal have faced Barcelona in the last 5 seasons. Losing to the Spanish giants in the Champions League final still burns deep in the minds of Arsenal fans, but the 4-1 thrashing at the Nou Camp last year simply emphasised their superiority over us.

This season promises to be different. The team looks ready for the demanding game that will take place tomorrow night. We need to take full advantage of the home leg, because Barca won’t do us any favours in Spain in three weeks time. They have an imperious record at home, and everyone will remember how Messi came alive in the second leg, after being rather subdued at the Emirates last season.

Without a doubt we have been dealt the most difficult draw. However, if we fail to progress to the next stage of the competition, but Spurs do manage to beat AC, there is no doubt that their fans will hold it against us. Many will remember the DVD release after they beat us 5-1. The PR team at White Heart Lane would have a field day if they managed to go further than their North London rivals in this prestigious competition.

The odds are heavily stacked in Barcelona’s favour, but our current form has been impressive. Fabregas and Wilshere will be playing against a World Cup-winning midfield, but they have ripped most Premier League defences to shreds this season, so there is always hope. This is the area that will undoubtedly be the most crucial and will dictate the way that the teams play.

Samir Nasri, who has been out for the last two weeks with a hamstring injury, which was picked up in the FA Cup match against Huddersfield, is included in the squad. Our stand-out performer this season, who returned to training yesterday, was originally thought to be out for much longer. His inclusion in the squad is a huge boost for the whole team.

“Samir is in the squad and the starting line-up will be decided tomorrow. He’s recovered quicker than expected. I said it would be 21 days but it will be only 17 days… Everybody is absolutely adamant that he’s completely medically available. It’s down to me to make the decision.”

I suspect that Nasri will start on the bench. I doubt that Wenger will risk playing him, because I think that it is more important to have a fully-fit Nasri as we look to challenge for the Premier League title and the domestic cups. The Carling Cup final is less than two weeks away and we sit only 4 points behind Manchester United in the league.

Abou Diaby is not available for tomorrow’s game after he picked up a calf injury while on international duty with France, but Tomas Rosicky returns to the squad following illness.

Messi vs Van Persie

The difference between this Barcelona game and the corresponding fixture last year is that we have a fully fit (and flourishing) Robin Van Persie. Van Persie has scored 9 goals in his last 5 games – a record number of goals in the first two months of a Premier League season. Johan Cruyff has tipped Van Persie as the player to lead Arsenal as we look to exact revenge for the 6-3 aggregate defeat to Barca last season.

“He is good on his right foot, even better on his left and decent in the air. As well as being a good player in excellent goalscoring form, he is fresher than anyone else having come back from injury in December.”

However, Messi is also in fantastic form, with 40 goals already this season. The Argentinean is probably (maybe joint with Christiano Ronaldo) the best player in the world at the moment. He put 4 goals past us in the second leg last season, so we need to be defensively strong and hope that he has a really bad game. There is little merit in man-marking him, firstly because he is far too skillful and fast, and secondly because they have so many other fantastic players. To take advice from the coach who led Sporting Gijon to a 1-1 draw on Saturday, Arsenal’s players should try to stop Barcelona getting down the wings. He advises Barca’s opponents to force them inside so that they can’t use their pace to exploit the opposition.

From the table, you can see that Van Persie’s stats are not that different from Messi’s in terms of goals per minutes played, although his shooting accuracy could definitely be improved. It is important to note that Van Persie has played far fewer games due to injury. Messi has been playing very well for a prolonged period of time. This is what RVP needs to do in order to be considered as one of the best players in the world.

Puyol vs Koscielny

Puyol is set to miss the match tomorrow, but I thought I would throw in some comparison with Koscielny just to highlight that, although he has come under some criticism so far this season, our French defender has had a good start to his Arsenal career. Koscielny has improved significantly in recent weeks thanks to his strong partnership with Johan Djourou, and we have kept five clean sheets in our last seven league games. His defensive stats this season speak for themselves.

Looking at the table, it would seem that Koscielny has better stats than the Barcelona stalwart. He makes plenty of interceptions and wins the majority of his tackles. However, these statistics are possibly a bit unfair on Puyol. Barcelona probably have less defending to do as they keep the ball so well.

Team prediction:

———————Szczesny———————

Eboué——Djourou—–Koscielny—–Clichy

———————–Song———————–

———-Fabregas———-Wilshere———-

Walcott————-RVP————-Arshavin

There is also the possibility that either Bendtner or Chamakh will start if Wenger wants more of a physical threat.

Emmanuel Eboué will replace Sagna as right-back.  Sagna is suspended following a red card in the game against Partizan Belgrade in December.

 

Predicted Score:

Arsenal 2-2 Barcelona

My prediction isn’t solely because of the scoreline last year. I think that we potentially have a good chance against Barca (we are stronger than we were last year), but both sides could nick a win. It is definitely more likely that Barcelona will control the game, but as a Gooner I am optimistic that we can do well!

Newcastle 4-4 Arsenal

Newcastle produce a stunning comeback to dent our title hopes.

Theo Walcott’s opener after 44 seconds was followed in quick succession by goals from Johan Djourou and RVP, giving the Gunners a 3-0 lead just 10 minutes into the game. Van Persie then netted his 10^th goal of the season, midway through the first half, to give us a well-deserved four goal cushion.

I would imagine that, like me, most Arsenal fans were hoping for an annihilation in the second half. Newcastle were without their top scorers Andy Carroll and Shola Ameobi, and had barely threatened our defence during the first half. It seemed as if the game had already finished, and it was just a matter of how many goals the away team would score. Some Newcastle fans had even left the stadium when our Dutchman netted his second goal.

At the beginning of the second half, Johan Djourou limped off the pitch and was replaced by Squillaci. Only minutes later, Abou Diaby was given a straight red for throwing Joey Barton onto the floor and pushing Kevin Nolan. I wasn’t that bothered and actually found it quite funny. We were winning by a huge margin, and Joey Barton probably deserved it – I’m not that fond of him. Little did I know, the sending off would have a significant effect on our second half performance.

Spurred on by playing against 10 men, Newcastle started to put pressure on our two centre-backs. Our team played with their heads down and showed nowhere near the level of attacking flair that we had seen at the beginning of the match.

After a goal was disallowed for offside, it was only a matter of time before Newcastle would score one that counted. With twenty-five minutes left, Barton stepped up to the penalty spot and sent Scezesny the wrong way, after Koscielny’s tussle with Leon Best, although the spot-kick could be deemed to be quite harsh. Kevin Nolan then had an altercation with Szczesny, grabbing our keeper by the neck for holding the ball for five seconds. If Diaby deserved a red card, then Nolan was certainly worthy of the same punishment, but the referee decided to give Szczesny a yellow card for holding onto the ball. Odd.

Best then put his name on the score sheet, capitalising from poor defending in the box by Gael Clichy. After failing to win a header, our left back was found wanting, and Best toe-poked the ball into the goal. Barton brought the game to 3-4 with another penalty. This penalty was terribly controversial; Koscielny was judged to have fouled Williamson as they both jumped to head the ball. I don’t actually know why the linesman gave a spot-kick – it was a fairly-contested header. This ridiculous penalty decision gave Newcastle the confidence they needed to get the equalising goal. That isn’t to say that they didn’t play well – their second half performance was impressive – but I highly doubt they would’ve got a point had that penalty not been given.

However, it is important to note that Best had another goal ruled out for offside, when Rosicky was clearing keeping him in an onside position.

No team has ever come from four goals down to gain even a point in the Premier League. The final goal came from a free kick, again slightly controversial, as Barton seemed to simply fall onto Rosicky, but the foul was given against us. We failed to clear the free kick, and the ball fell to Tiote, who smashed a brilliant long-range shot past Szczesny to bring the game level. The Newcastle fans that left at half-time missed the greatest comeback in Premier League history.

Title challenge:

If Manchester United were to win their game against Wolves in the late kickoff, we would have been hard-pushed to mount a successful title challenge. 7 points is a big gap at the top of the table, especially as we are entering the last phase of the season. However, United were unable to capitalise on our draw. Bottom-of-the-table Wolves put in a tremendous performance and ended United’s unbeaten run.

We now sit only 4 points behind the league leaders, who face Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City in 3 of their next 5 games. Despite our best efforts to throw it away, we still remain very much in the hunt for the Championship.

The aftermath:

1) Ridiculous reports from the French media emerged early yesterday afternoon which claimed that Interpol were investigating “suspicious money transfers” involving referee Phil Dowd and an Arsenal midfielder, thought to be Tomas Rosicky, due to “a strong prevailing climate of suspicion around the game.” Interpol were supposedly looking into the possibility of match-fixing.

Some conspiracy theorists believed that there had to be a reason for the team throwing away a 4-goal lead, claiming that Rosicky was at fault (at least partially) for 3 of the 4 goals, and that Phil Dowd gave two very soft penalties. However, an Interpol spokeswoman denied their involvement in investigating the game:

“Interpol is not aware of any request for assistance and any investigation would be conducted by national authorities. Interpol’s general secretary has not been asked to provide any assistance in relation to this matter.”

2) Other reports from Switzerland suggest that Johan Djourou has suffered damage to his knee cartilage. He could be out for a while, but it is currently unclear how long it will take for his injury to clear.

Diaby and other injury news

Has been riddled with injury at Arsenal

After making a brief comeback against Chelsea as a substitute, Abou Diaby was given the chance to start against Wigan. Unfortunately, his return was short-lived. After just 27 minutes, he was forced off the pitch with another injury.

This is how the Arsenal website describes his new injury:

Abou is set to be out for “some weeks” after picking up a calf strain in the 2-2 draw at Wigan on Wednesday night.

 The midfielder hobbled off during the first half at the DW Stadium and was replaced by Jack Wilshere.

 Afterwards, Arsène Wenger confirmed the bad news. “It is a calf strain,” said the manager. “He is out for a while now. Some weeks I think.”

Is this just bad luck, or are we beginning to see a pattern with Diaby?

Undoubtedly, Diaby has the potential to be a very good player. However, he has been plagued with injuries during his time at Ashburton Grove. He is still a young player and we hope he can put this phase behind him.

Wenger seems happy with the progress of Emmanuel Frimopong, who was unfortunate to suffer from a cruciate knee ligament injury. Wenger said that he is “coming along well for a guy with a cruciate injury.” He also said that for such an injury “you count nine months and it is now nearly six. He is close to running and in one month he should start to play in training.” This is good news as he looked to be a very promising young talent.

Thomas Vermaelen seems to be nearing a return to the first team after 4 months out. Wenger said that he “would rather say late January” about the possible return of our star centre back. However, Wenger admitted that he  has to be careful because he has “been hit so many times with backlash that I am very cautious.”

Keiran Gibbs and Manuel Almunia should be available early in the new year.

Fabregas vs Nasri

For the majority of this season, Arsenal have played without our influential captain, Cesc Fabregas, but we still find ourselves top of the Premier league after 16 games. In past seasons, the team has struggled when Fabregas isn’t dominating the midfield, but this season is different thanks to hugely improved performances from Samir Nasri – not that he was performing badly in the past.

Nasri, who was left out of France’s World Cup squad by coach Raymond Domenech, has been Arsenals most consistent player this season, adding goals to his already elegant and exciting style of play. His two goals against Fulham on the weekend showed just how much he has improved since he joining the club. From a player who scored only 12 in his first two campaigns at the club, Nasri has transformed himself into a prolific goal scorer who has already bagged 11 goals in all competitions this season. This current form has seen him compared to past Gunners legend Robert Pires, with many Arsenal fans wondering if he can fill the gap left if/when Fabregas leaves for Barcelona.

Both players have a completely different playing style. Fabregas has much better vision with a talent for picking out extremely difficult long passes. Nasri, who used to play on the wing, has been moved into central midfield during Fabregas’ absence. Playing in this central role, he has slightly better movement with the ball and links better with the attacking players using his short, clever passes. Both players have extremely good first touch, but one key difference between the two players is that Nasri has a lot more pace than Fabregas. He always looks dangerous as he dribbles past defenders and towards goal.

Nasri and Andrei Arshavin both have one more season left on their contracts. If Wenger can convince them to both sign new (hopefully long-term) contracts, I can see Cesc leaving for the Camp Nou in the Sumer. It all depends on whether Wenger makes the decision to base next seasons Arsenal team around Nasri, a player who seems committed to staying at the club, rather than wasting time trying to convince Fabragas to stay at the Emirates. The continued improvements in performances from Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere will also play a huge part in any decision.

Vermaelen suffers injury setback

Vermaelen & Arshavin in pre-season training

Bad news everybody! Thomas Vermaelen has had a further setback in his recovery from injury, after he damaged his Achilles tendon again during training, with Arsène Wenger admitting that it is hard to determine how long it will be before he is fully recovered.

Having started our first 3 games of this season, Vermaelen has not featured since, and the lack of his presence as the stalwart of our defense is obvious. Although Squillaci and Koscielny have formed a good defensive partnership, a fit Vermaelen is always going to be our first choice centre back.   With him in the team we may not have lost to Newcastle or West Brom.

Koscielny is now out for two games after his unnecessary sending off right at the end of the game against Newcastle, so we only have two experienced centre backs available for tomorrows premier league match away at Wolves. Lets just hope that Djourou and Squillaci both put in the strong defensive performance required for us to get the 3 points we need!