Tag Archives: injury news

Mikel Arteta out for the season

  By jtom | 19/04/2012 - 7:30 AM | Injury News, Mikel Arteta
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Mikel Arteta suffered a season-ending injury to his ankle on Monday night against Wigan Athletic. Ligament damage will keep the Spanish midfielder off the pitch for Arsenal’s final four Premier League matches.

According to The Guardian, Arteta’s season is finished due to an ankle injury he sustained against Wigan. No fracture was detected; however, significant ligament damage to the ankle will keep Arteta out for the remainder of the campaign.

Arteta rushed down the tunnel after hurting his ankle, which left the Gunners a man down. The Latics scored their second goal before Aaron Ramsey was prepared to replace Arteta. Arsene Wenger was not happy about the incident:

“It is the fact that when a player is injured, if he stays on the pitch you have time to bring [a replacement] on. It was a misunderstanding because he walked off and Ramsey was not ready. The players think they will not come on in the first half, so they are not ready. Basically we played with 10 men, which should not be the case when a player is injured. Arteta had to come off but if he sits down on the pitch he can come off as well.” (Source: Arsenal)

Wenger’s main concern will now be about how to compensate for the loss of Arteta. Yossi Benayoun is not permitted to play against his parent club Chelsea on Saturday. Obviously, Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere are still recovering from their respective injuries. Unfortunately, the only option appears to be Aaron Ramsey.

Ramsey has been in very poor form recently. In fact, I shuddered when he entered the game against Wigan as an early substitute to take the place of the injured Arteta. The Welshman was brilliant against Chelsea during Arsenal’s 5-3 victory at the Bridge, but the quality of his performances has dropped profoundly in recent months. Fatigue could be the reason for Ramsey’s sudden drop. Before this season, he had never featured in more than 18 Premier League matches (he has 30 appearances this season).

Even if Aaron Ramsey defies his recent form and provides decent cover, Arteta’s veteran presence in our midfield will be missed. The former Everton man has agreed to sit further back and act as a holding midfielder at times, which has allowed Tomas Rosicky to roam freely behind Robin van Persie. Arteta’s calm passing has created a stable structure in Arsene Wenger’s midfield, and he has helped revitalise Rosicky’s Arsenal career. Arteta has contributed off the pitch as well. Andre Santos explained:

“Our languages are quite similar, so he is helping me the most. He is always giving me instructions about the Premier League as he played for Everton for a long time … We’re always messing around in the changing room, on the pitch during the warm-up. He’s always saying something to make me laugh or calling me nicknames but it’s always good-spirited.” (Source: Arsenal Player)

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Liverpool v Arsenal: Injuries, injuries, and more injuries

  By jtom | 03/03/2012 - 7:52 AM | Match Preview, Premier League
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Arsene Wenger won the Manager of the Month award for February, and Arsenal will be looking to continue their league success at Anfield on Saturday in their first match of March.

Unfortunately, Wenger may not have his full compliment to work with against Liverpool. On Friday, the manager said that Robin van Persie and Thomas Vermaelen needed to pass a late fitness test in order to take part in the crucial clash at Anfield. Aaron Ramsey will definitely be out for Saturday’s match, while Wenger said that he believes Rosicky will be healthy enough to play against Kenny Dalglish’s side.

During his gathering with the press on Saturday, Arsene Wenger was quite clearly annoyed about how the injuries of Vermaelen and van Persie were handled by their respective national team managers. Speaking about Vermaelen, Wenger said:

“We sent them [the Belgian FA] an e-mail, and we spoke with their doctor. They forced him to report in Brussels. Once he was in Brussels they forced him to travel. Look, if Belgium had played a qualifier I would say, ‘OK, what can you do, that’s for the country’. But they played a friendly game. To go where? They do not even go to the European Championship. So it’s very difficult to understand.

“I cannot understand that obsession, that insistence, knowing that we play on Saturday and Tuesday.” (Source: Arsenal.com)

On van Persie, Wenger said: “We played Sunday against Tottenham, Wednesday night international friendlies, Saturday 12.45 at Liverpool, Tuesday night against Milan. Any football player knows that it is impossible to play these four games at the top level. It is impossible. So for us it is vital we do not lose the players now.

“If you go into a period like that with players already touched, you have more chances to lose the players.” (Source: Arsenal.com)

Arsene’s comments suggest that he may consider resting van Persie at the start against Liverpool. Of course, keeping the Dutchman healthy is important, but surely the captain must be included in the starting eleven for a match as massive as this. Liverpool are one of the clubs battling for that fourth position, and an Arsenal victory would dent their chances of overtaking us.

Surprisingly, Wenger announced at his pre-match press conference that Abou Diaby is fit to return to the squad. Diaby’s constant injury problems have so hindered his appearances on the pitch that some Arsenal supporters may have forgotten he was even on the team. Still, if the French international can go a while without feeling pain, his presence in the midfield could really help us in the final stretch of the season.

Liverpool aren’t without their own injury concerns. Steven Gerrard is not likely to play due to a hamstring injury he suffered while playing for England. The loss of Gerrard will hurt the Reds in the centre of the midfield, where they will probably have the slow-footed Charlie Adam and the inconsistent and mostly ineffective Jordan Henderson stationed.

Most Arsenal supporters would argue whether Arsene Wenger deserves to win the Premier League Manager of the Month Award, but Barclays Awards Panel decided to send the honour his way. Even the man himself was stunned:

“It was a complete shock to me. I couldn’t understand that at all. If you had read the newspapers in the last two weeks, you must say there is a mistake. Yes [it did make him smile]. I thought they were speaking to somebody else behind me!” (Arsenal.com)

Considering our recent Premier League form, the decision to hand Wenger the prize seems sensible. Apart from an atrocious 0-0 draw at Bolton, we have had three very good victories (7-1 over Blackburn, 2-1 over Sunderland, 5-2 over Spurs). Perhaps the good times will continue after the joyous excitement that resulted from crushing Tottenham.

However, Liverpool are also on a high after defeating Cardiff City in the Carling Cup final. Kenny Dalglish hopes that the victory will carry his side to greater glories, though their performance in the final was not all that impressive. A Championship side took them to penalties and almost pulled off an almighty upset.

To beat Liverpool on Saturday, the Gunners will need to keep the likes of Luis Suarez and Craig Bellamy away from Szczesny’s goal. Liverpool tend to settle for long shots when they cannot penetrate the opposition’s defence. If they are unable to break us down, Suarez will drift back to get the ball. And the defender tasked with marking Andy Carroll may have his easiest day of the season; The tall striker is terrible.

Rosicky is expected to play, which is huge news. If he and the rest of the midfielders perform like they did against Spurs last week, there will be no stopping Arsene Wenger’s side.

Match: Liverpool v Arsenal

Competition: Premier League

Location: Anfield

Kickoff: 12:45 GMT, 7:45am EST

Television: Sky Sports 2 (UK), ESPN (USA)

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Arsene Wenger has up to £100m to spend

  By jtom | 23/02/2012 - 7:30 AM | Arsene Wenger, Injury News, Transfer News
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Arsene Wenger will be able to spend a maximum of  £100 million this summer. It was originally thought that the manager would have £50m available, but Stan Kroenke and the Arsenal board appear willing to spend more on player transfers and wages in order to rebuild the Gunners’ struggling squad.

According to The Telegraph, “senior sources” at Arsenal have made it clear that Wenger will have between “£50 million and £100 million” at his disposal when the transfer market opens in the summer. Despite all of his other engagements, Stan Kroenke can afford and is not afraid to spend big money to help turn around our fortunes.

I’m inclined to believe this report because it was published by the The Telegraph. Their journalists tend not to fabricate many articles.

Kroenke has yet to really make his impression on the club. Arsenal have been performing business as usual since his takeover last season. Perhaps Kronke has taken notice of the recent criticism from some supporters that has been aimed at him. After the loss to Sunderland, some fans took to Twitter to bash Silent Stan, which is odd considering he wasn’t on the pitch and he didn’t fill out the teamsheet.

If these sources are telling the truth, Arsene Wenger may make some big summer moves, but the question is whether he is ready and willing to spend the club’s money. As someone who has a degree in economics, Wenger could believe that spending huge sums in the transfer market is not a wise plan. With all of the talk throughout Europe about austerity, many football clubs have been immune to the economic times. But with the rising debts of clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester City, it is inevitable that the bubble will burst. We have already witnessed a big club, Rangers, go into administration.

Still, some squad investment is definitely neccessary. The current crop of Gunners simply cannot compete for the top trophies. At the very least, we should be spending all of the cash we have recieved for the sales of Cesc, Na$ri, and others. Also, if our results continue to decline over the next few years, the money the club is taking in will slowly dry up. For a self-sustaining club, that could spell disaster because less incoming cash results in less spending.

Arsenal season ticket holders are becoming more and more agitated with the high price of tickets. The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust, who published a fantastic Arsenal financial analysis on Monday, have urged the board to lower the price of admission for European matches if we are in the Europa League next season. The AST also asked the board not to raise the price of season tickets for next season.

Of course, we should not have the highest ticket prices in the known universe given our failures in the last seven years. Perhaps the board will relent and freeze the prices for next season, but it would not make sense economically. Only when the demand for tickets meets the supply will there be a strong reason for the board not to raise ticket prices. Empty seats will do nothing to dissuade the practice of continually rising prices. The board will only pay attention when large amounts of tickets are not being sold at all.

Maybe the members of the board will decide to drop the season ticket prices out of the goodness of their hearts, but billionaires and millionaires do not acquire their wealth by showing mercy.

In other news, full-back Carl Jenkinson could make his return from injury on Sunday against Spurs according to The Press Association. He played for the Reserves on Tuesday night after missing three and a half months with a back injury. Jenkinson told Arsenal.com:

“It is fantastic to be back. It has been really hard coming in every day and doing my rehab stuff, but I am delighted to be back now.

“The injury felt fine; I had no problems with it at all, which is great news because you never know how you are going to react in a game.”

The North London derby may not be the best time to reintegrate Jenkinson into the team. With all of the pressure that comes with that match, it would probably best if he rests on the bench. However, Arsene Wenger is facing another defensive crisis due to injuries, so maybe Carl Jenkinson will get an opportunity.

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Jack Wilshere suffers injury setback

  By jtom | 28/01/2012 - 8:32 AM | Injury News, Jack Wilshere
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Wilshere will be spending more time at the new medical center.

Jack Wilshere could miss the rest of the Arsenal season and Euro 2012 due to a setback in his recovery from an injured ankle. Arsene Wenger described Wilshere’s mood as “gutted.”

On Friday, the Arsenal manager revealed the disappointing news about the 19-year-old English midfielder:

“He has had a little setback that is under investigation at the moment so I cannot give you how long he will be out for. At the moment he is seeing a specialist and as soon as we know more we will communicate. It sets him back a little bit but for how long I don’t know.  It is the same foot but a different problem to the injury he had surgery on back in September. But is it an inflammation? We have to wait a little bit.” (Source: Arsenal.com)

Apparently, Wilshere damaged the already tender ankle in training this week. While the seriousness of the setback is not yet known, Wenger said Jack will not return until March at the earliest: “It’s impossible [for him] to play at the end of February. Even if we have some good news, I would say that’s impossible. From day one, when you are completely fit to practice again, to be match fit you count at least six weeks. [He is] gutted.” (Source: Arsenal.com)

Wilshere confirmed the news via Twitter:  ”It is true I have had a setback I can’t tell you how long I have been set back because I don’t know! I am very annoyed but will stay strong.”

Completely devastating. Many supporters have been pinning our chance of finishing in the top four on Wilshere, but it now appears that the versatile midfield man will not be available for quite a long time. Just last week, everyone was expecting Jack’s return to come sooner rather than later. Now, it is not certain whether Wilshere will even contribute to our 125th season at all.

Since the pre-season, Jack has been marred by a series of setbacks to that maligned ankle. In August, it was expected that the problem would only keep him out for the final pre-season match or, at worst, the first couple games of the season. Then, in September, Arsenal announced that Wilshere had surgery on the ankle and would miss “four to five months.” After a terrific breakthrough campaign last year, it seems Wilshere’s second season as a prominent Gunner will be ruined by injury.

In light of the situation, Arsene Wenger may need to sign a midfielder before the end of the transfer window. If one of the current midfield three (Song, Arteta, Ramsey) is forced to miss significant time, we could face real problems. Just the absence of Arteta in the last two matches has had a clear negative effect on the team. Benayoun and Rosicky are really nothing players in my mind because they usually contribute next-to-nothing and neither is all that concerned with tracking back. Both will have their moments, and Benayoun works hard, but surely neither player can hold up as a solid starter.

Coquelin, who is currently injured, has displayed grit and determination in the midfield. He may be able to fill a role if needed, but his experience is an issue. It is a shame that Frimpong had to be sent on loan because he could definitely help the squad at the moment. Since moving to Wolves, he has proven to be an extremely influential player for Mick McCarthy’s side. Sadly, Frimpong was kicked in the face against Villa and sustained a brutal eye injury. Even though he is in Wolverhampton, Frimpong still has Arsenal DNA.

Perhaps Wenger will make a move in the waning days of January to acquire a midfielder. The dilemma will be finding a quality player by Tuesday, which is a tough task considering the lack of good footballers usually available in the winter window. My prediction is that transfer deadline day will be a quiet one for Gooners, though there always is a chance…

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How will Arsene Wenger handle Arsenal’s injury crisis?

  By jtom | 13/01/2012 - 7:30 AM | Arsene Wenger, Injury News, Transfer News
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While many were calling Arsenal’s early season woes a “crisis,” the real crisis is occurring at the moment because of the shear amount of injured defenders. Arsene Wenger can either dip into the transfer market or hope that some of his players recover quickly.

At the moment, the injured players would form a better back four than the available players. Thomas Vermaelen, Francis Coquelin, Kieran Gibbs, Bacary Sagna, Andre Santos, and Carl Jenkinson will be out for the match against Swansea City on Sunday. Arsene Wenger will likely have to select his four defenders out of this uninspiring group: Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Sebastien Squillaci, Ignasi Miquel, and Nico Yennaris.

Maybe that crop of players will be able to make it through the tough test in Wales, but several important fixtures are on the horizon. In the weeks ahead, the Gunners will take on Manchester United, AC Milan, and Spurs. All three clubs must be licking their lips at the prospect of facing such a fragile backline.

There is some hope that Sagna, Vermaelen, and/or Gibbs could make their returns to the starting eleven as early as the United game next week. Both Gibbs and Sagna have missed an extended period of time, so it may not be the greatest idea to send them out for such a fast-paced affair.

Kieran Gibbs cannot be relied upon as the regular left-back until he is able to string together a run of matches without sustaining an injury. He has only made 23 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, partly due to sitting behind Clichy for a few years and partly due to injury. Arsene Wenger may have to think twice before trusting Gibbs to complete the rest of the season at left-back.

Wenger has said at recent press conferences that signing a full-back on loan is a likely scenario, though he has also been known hold his cards close to his chest when it comes to the transfer dealings of the club. If he believes that a few of the players are close to coming back, Arsene may not make any more signings in January.

Instead of praying that injury-prone players like Vermaelen and Gibbs stay healthy, Wenger could sign a defender on loan just as an insurance policy. Many names have been linked to us in the papers, including Aly Cissokho, Wayne Bridge, and Eric Abidal.

The problem is that, if all the defenders are miraculously fit, someone will be displaced. Imagine if Abidal was signed and then Gibbs and Santos recovered from their injuries! It is likely that one of the three (probably Santos) would never get a chance to play, which could cause problems in the dressing room.

Meanwhile, Wenger has had to cancel Ignasi Miquel’s loan move because of all of the hobbled full-backs. The 19-year old Spaniard told Arsenal Player: “Before the injuries, I had in my head to go on loan to the Championship but now with this I’ve not spoken to anyone.

“If they can sign someone or Kieran Gibbs comes back, we’ll see if I stay here or go on loan.” (Source: Sky Sports)

Miquel will likely start at left-back against Swansea, which outlines the very problem. In most years, he would go out on loan to a smaller club in order to gain experience. Now, he has to be thrown into the fire right away because of the lack of available defenders. Of course, this is mostly due to an extraordinary number of injuries and not a lack of depth.

The farther we get into January, the less likely it is that Arsene Wenger will bring in a reinforcement. As Wenger is not the biggest fan of the transfer market, it is possible that he may be done dealing in this window. The enormous trust he has in his players is amazing, but let’s just hope that it is well-placed trust.

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Wenger to decide on Thierry Henry, left-back loan moves

  By jtom | 24/12/2011 - 8:00 AM | Arsene Wenger, Injury News, Transfer News
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Arsene Wenger will spend his Christmas considering whether to bring Thierry Henry back to the Gunners. He will also be looking for opportunities to sign a left-back on loan because Kieran Gibbs will not return until the end of January at the very earliest.

Instead of relaxing on Christmas day, Arsene Wenger will be mulling over a move for Arsenal legend Thierry Henry. On the possibility of signing Henry on a short-term loan, Wenger said: “That’s why I have Christmas Day off – I have to think about that.

“Short-term is ideal for us, but I haven’t made any enquiry yet. Thierry is not here at the moment. It has never come up in conversation! The first of January is the vital date for us. We have seven days to make decisions and I will make a decision in the next seven days on players.”

Since the end of the MLS season, Henry has been training with the Arsenal players. With Marouane Chamakh and Gervinho set to head to the African Cup of Nations, Henry could provide cover in case Robin van Persie is forced to miss any length of time. Only a deal around two months would work, because the New York Red Bulls will likely want him back to prepare for their season.

I’m very conflicted on this issue. On one hand, it would be lovely to see Henry back in the red and white. On other hand, we may find that Henry is only a shell of his former self. Our last memory of the legend could be watching him limp off the pitch after struggling to keep up with the pace of the Premier League.

If Robin does have to miss some time (I’m purposely avoiding the “i” word), then we will have to rely on Ju Young Park, who has not exactly shined in his few appearances for Arsenal. And Henry cannot possibly do any worse than Chamakh. If Henry is impressive in training, might as well sign him up for two months.

Arsene Wenger also revealed that left-back Kieran Gibbs will be out for one month. He underwent a groin operation that will keep him off the pitch until at least the end of January. Every time it appears Gibbs has recovered, another injury pushes back his return.

A few days ago, Wenger said his decision on whether to enter the left-back market would depend on the condition of Kieran Gibbs. Regarding the chances of signing a full-back in January, Wenger said on Friday:

“It depends now on how quickly Sagna [will come back]. He has started to run a little bit. I have to see what is available – if I have a good opportunity then why not? But I haven’t made any enquiry yet, so for the moment no Wayne Bridge or anyone else. It is of course something we look at but as well it depends on how long you have to take them.

“They have a big impact on your wages as well. If you have to sign a player for three or four years and then you have three or four left backs, only one can play, so they are not happy.

“It can only be a short-term solution for us because we have bought Santos, we have Gibbs, we have Vermaelen who can play there, so we do not need a long-term solution.”

We will likely sign a full-back next month because we cannot continue to play four centre-backs constantly, without ever giving them a rest. Manchester City’s goal last week was primarily due to Koscielny’s bad positioning, and he was, of course, playing out of position at right-back. Vermaelen’s mistake against Aston Villa on Wednesday led to Marc Albrighton’s goal. He was playing on the left at the time, and made a poor pass back to Per Mertesacker.

Being the football-crazed man that he is, Wenger will spend his Christmas meal pondering what moves to make in January. Thierry Henry on loan? (Insert full-back’s name here) on loan? In order to get the most out of the possible loan signings, Wenger will make the decisions before the New Year.

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Santos Injury + Transfer News

  By jtom | 13/12/2011 - 7:15 AM | Injury News, Transfer News
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Santos out for three months

Andre Santos will miss three months due to a right ankle injury. Arsene Wenger faces a full-back crisis because Kieran Gibbs, Bacary Sagna, and Carl Jenkinson are also out.

The Brazilian left back suffered the injury during the match against Olympiacos last week. Of course, that match meant nothing for our progress in the Champions League, but Wenger was forced to play Santos because of a lack of depth at the position.

Regarding Santos’ injury, Arsenal released this statement: “Arsenal Football Club can confirm that, following investigations and subsequent medical opinions by Club specialists, left-back Andre Santos will have surgery to repair ligament damage in his right ankle sustained in the game against Olympiacos last week.

“Andre will have surgery in Brazil this week and is expected to be out for around three months. Everyone at the Club wishes him well.”

With all four senior full-backs out, Wenger will be forced to start four centre-backs in defence against Manchester City on Sunday, as he did at the Emirates against Everton on Saturday. On the bright side, the added height should allow us to handle City’s aerial threat.

Chamakh threatens to leave

Marouane Chamakh has stated that he will demand a move away from the Emirates if his playing time is not increased: ”I am 27 and I need to play. I cannot stay like this forever. I won’t leave in January but I will take an important decision in June. I was surprised by the offers I got last summer but my priority was to stay at Arsenal.

“A return to France? If so, it will be to Bordeaux.” (Quotes from ESPN)

Please Bordeaux, take Chamakh back! He has been nothing sort of terrible this season and his cry for more time on the pitch is pathetic. If he starts playing well, then Arsene will certainly reward him with more opportunities. I can’t stand players who beg for playing time when they are performing miserably. Arshavin did the same thing a while back.

Wenger won’t go for Gourcuff

Arsene Wenger told Canal+ that he will not sign Lyon midfielder Yohan Gourcuff in January: “He is a player I like a lot and I believe people have been very critical towards him in France. However, we won’t be in the winter market for any midfielders as we have players that are coming back from injuries.” (Quotes from ESPN)

Gourcuff would be a good addition to our squad, but Wenger is right in saying that we are not in need of a midfielder. The priority in January should be signing a striker.

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Match Preview: Norwich City v Arsenal

  By jtom | 19/11/2011 - 7:00 AM | Match Preview, Premier League
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Carrow Road

The Gunners are looking to continue their fantastic run of form when they visit Carrow Road on Saturday. Paul Lambert has led this Norwich team to a magnificent return to the Premier League, but will the Canaries be able to maintain their early-season form?

Injury News

Arsene Wenger revealed at his pre-match press conference that Carl Jenkinson and Kieran Gibbs will both miss a significant amount of time. Gibbs underwent surgery and will be out for about six weeks. Jenkinson will miss three to four weeks due to a stress fracture in his back.

Abou Diaby is back in full training but Wenger said it will be some time before we see him out on the pitch again. Despite reports, Marouane Chamakh will be available to play on Saturday. Jack Wilshere and Bacary Sagna are still out with long-term injuries.

As for Norwich, they will be without centre-backs Zak Whitbread, Dani Ayala, and Elliott Ward. Russell Martin and Bradley Johnson will both be available for Saturday.

Recent Form

Despite the two-week international break, form is still vital to any Premier League clash. Arsenal are entering this match with four consecutive Premiership victories. The Gunners have won seven of their last eight matches in all competitions. We have certainly recovered from the illness that plagued us at the start of the season.

The Canaries picked up five league points in October and lost to Aston Villa in their first match of November. Norwich have yet to keep a clean sheet this season, which is something Arsenal supporters will love to hear. Despite their shaky back four, Paul Lambert’s side gave Manchester United a tough test and earned a point at Anfield.

Key Battles

Grant Holt v Arsenal back five: The big Norwich striker does not usually start, but I’d expect to see Lambert use him at some point because of our history of poor aerial defending. Holt provided a brilliant header for the equaliser against Liverpool. Wenger may use Mertesacker to stop Holt in the second half.

Gervinho and Walcott v Norwich defenders: As I stated earlier, the Canaries do not have the strongest back four. Theo Walcott and Gervinho will need to use their pace to break through the backline and attack the goal. Inconsistency has been a theme of Walcott’s career, so we will see which Theo is at Carrow Road for Saturday’s early kickoff.

Wes Hoolahan v Alex Song: Hoolahan is Norwich’s creator in the middle of the park. He usually plays right behind the striker, so Alex Song will likely mark the talented Irishman. Song has improved so much in the last two years, and he has been vital to our resurgence this season.

Anthony Pilkington v Arsenal right back: Last season, we saw Pilkington play for Huddersfield Town against us in the FA Cup. Since then, he has moved to Norwich and is now their top scorer this season with four goals. With Carl Jenkinson and Bacary Sagna out injured, Arsene Wenger will be forced to use one of his defenders out of position. During the pre-match press conference, Wenger pointed out Djourou and Koscielny as the two options to start at right back.

The Managers

Arsene Wenger on Norwich (Arsenal.com): “The right way to approach it is to get the right formula and I think he has done that. They bought Anthony Pilkington who we saw had a good impact against us last season in the FA Cup, and players like Elliott Bennett who we have seen are Premier League quality.

“These are shrewd buys and a factor of the development of their success.”

Manager Paul Lambert has expertly picked players from the lower divisions to form this Norwich side. These are intelligent footballers who know what to do when the tide is shifting in a match. The Canaries are dynamic in that they can counter-attack and dominate at different times in a match and do both very well.

Wenger on Theo Walcott (Arsenal.com): “I believe that Theo is developing very well into a team player – more than he ever was,” said the Frenchman. I personally am happy with the way he has developed this season. He defends better, his link player is better, his final balls are better and he is only 22 years old.”

Paul Lambert (Norwich City Official Website): “For how hard the Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea games were, I think this game will be equally as hard. They’re a top side, there is no doubt about it.

“They are a brilliant football side that’s for sure and we’re going to have to play above ourselves to get something.”

Match: Norwich City v Arsenal

Location: Carrow Road

Kickoff: 12:45 GMT, 7:45 am EST

Television: Sky Sports (UK), ESPN (USA)

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Henry returns to Arsenal

  By jtom | 18/11/2011 - 7:05 AM | Uncategorized
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The king is back… but only for training. Thierry Henry was at London Colney on Thursday as the Gunners prepared for Saturday’s match against Norwich. The season for the New York Red Bulls has just ended, so Henry will keep up his fitness by training with the first-team when possible.

Do not get your hopes up for an emotional, permanent return to North London. Remember that Henry did the same thing last year and he stayed in the MLS.

Of course, Thierry still looks completely at home in an Arsenal shirt. It never did look right to see him wearing the Barcelona or Red Bulls kit. Even though he is across the ocean, Henry still talks glowingly about his time at Arsenal and the club in general. He has hinted at a move back to the Emirates as a coach.

Arsene Wenger could actually use an experienced striker, even a 34-year old Henry. Marouane Chamakh has been nothing short of terrible this season and will be missing in January due to the African Cup of Nations. Ju Young Park still needs more playing time before we can evaluate him fully. Do not forget we will also be without Gervinho during the African Cup of Nations.

I don’t even want to type this, but what would happen if Robin van Perise sustained an injury and missed a large portion of January? Walcott would be the only regularly starting player at top, with Park at striker and Arshavin/Chamberlain on the other wing. This lack of depth in the forward position could persuade Wenger to make a loan offer to the Red Bulls for Henry.

But keep in mind that MLS clubs have been known to despise such loan attempts in the past. If nothing else, Henry’s presence in training will provide a boost to the squad. He can aide some of the younger players, who will surely look up to him as a legend.

Wilshere Improving

Jack Wilshere sent out this Twitter message on Thursday: “First day without crutches in a while! Feels so good!” The 19-year old midfielder is healing from the ankle injury that has caused to miss every match this season. According to the Daily Mirror, Wilshere has been cleared to start light training.
 
While it is great to hear about Jack’s improving condition, there is no need to rush him back. The team is on a fantastic run of form right now, and the long-term health of Wilshere is much more important than having him back a week or two early. No Gooner wants to see Wilshere lying on the ground in pain anytime soon.
 

Van Persie Credits Wenger for his Success

Robin van Persie has pointed to Arsene Wenger as the man who turned him into a goal-scoring machine (ESPN):  ”I’m so thankful I met him. When I was 20 he asked me, ‘Why are you not a top player yet?’ I said ‘Because of this, this and this.’ He told me to think about the reasons why and a couple of years later asked me again, ‘Are you a top player?’

“I again said, ‘No, I don’t think so.’ And he said, ‘Why not? Think about it.’ It was then I started to realise. He gave me a little bit of advice on certain things I was doing.

“He told me to think more about my actions. It was a conversation which lasted a year. Every couple of weeks he would refer to that conversation we had. He was giving me proof as well so I could go on and find my answer and I was finding answers all the time. He helped me big time.”

No one is questioning whether RvP is a top player anymore. The Dutchman is definitely the top striker in the Premier League, and one of the best in the world.

Wenger clearly knows how to motivate players to reach their potential. He picks players who are undervalued and helps turn them into top class footballers. Many times, when Wenger has brought the player to Arsenal, he reaches the peak of his performance. When the player leaves Arsenal, he is never able to reach that pinnacle again.

 

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Match Preview: Arsenal v West Brom

  By jtom | 05/11/2011 - 7:00 AM | Match Preview, Premier League
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The Gunners are aiming for their fifth Premier League victory on the bounce against West Brom on Saturday at the Emirates. Remember that the Baggies took four points from two matches against us last season, so it would be unwise to underestimate Roy Hodgson’s side.

Injury News

Kieran Gibbs and Marouane Chamakh will miss this match, as well as the players on the long-term injury list (Wilshere, Diaby, Sagna). Arsene Wenger is hopeful that Gibbs and Chamakh will be able to return after the international break, which is next week.

West Brom will be without striker Shane Long and midfielder Paul Scharner due to injury. Long is dangerous and has a lot of pace, so he will be a big miss for the Baggies.

Key Battles

Peter Odemwingie

Peter Odemwingie v Thomas Vermaelen: Odemwingie scored twice against us last season, and West Brom will need him to be productive. Vermaelen has recently returned from his injury, and it will be interesting to see how he deals with the pace of Odemwingie.

Aaron Ramsey v Youssouf Mulumbu: Assuming both players start, this could be a very important battle. Ramsey was fantastic at the Bridge but struggled against Marseille mid-week. Mulumbu is an effective holding midfielder who will certainly pressure Ramsey when he is on the ball. How Ramsey deals with this pressure will be telling.

Robin van Persie v West Brom: The Baggies are going to need all eleven players to hold down the Dutchman. Van Persie is in the form of his life. Roy Hodgson will have surely devised some sort of defensive tactic to contain RvP. Hopefully, we will not need to rely on Robin as much on Saturday, but I doubt it.

Recent History

The last two league matches against West Brom featured a painful comedy of errors from one Manuel Almunia. The first game, at the Emirates, saw the Baggies surge out to a 3-0 lead. The second goal came off a strike that was directly at Almunia. The Spanish keeper just deflected the ball into his own net. West Brom’s third came after some terrible defending and a ill-fated dash by Almunia.

Na$ri scored two late goals to give us hope, but West Brom earned the three points.

In the second match at The Hawthorns, West Brom jumped out to an early lead with a goal from Steve Reid. Manuel Almunia would double the Baggies’ advantage by rushing out of his net towards Odemwingie, even though Squillaci was right in front of the West Brom striker. Odemwingie calmly went around our players before sliding the ball into the empty net Almunia’s dumb play would give Gooners bad dream for weeks.

We did battle back for a draw after two goals in seven minutes. The first was a powerful volley by Andrey Arshavin, and the second was a tap-in from Robin.

The Managers

Arsene Wenger (from Arsenal.com): “For us it is of course a vital game on Saturday. We are coming back into a better position in the league. We feel at home we are managing to win games and we want to continue to do that. What was important at Chelsea was that we won a big game, which is important for confidence.”

Wenger has been trying to downplay the marvelous victory at the Bridge. He does not want complacency to set in because of the huge victory.

The boss on Almunia (from Arsenal.com): “He is back from a loan spell at West Ham where he did very well, so he is available again for us. I wanted to give him a chance to play and show how good he is because he is at the end of his contract this season.”

Keep Almunia away from the Ashburton Grove on Saturday. Sitting in club level is too close to the pitch. Thank goodness we have Szczesny.

Roy Hodgson (from West Brom’s official website): “One of the lessons I learnt from watching the Chelsea game was to park the bus in front of the goal. Another lesson was do not slip up when the ball is played back to you!”

That reminds me. It’s about time I watch John Terry fall again.

Match: Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion

Location: Emirates Stadium

Kickoff: 15:00 GMT, 11:00 EST

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