Previous names: Dial Square, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich Arsenal
Google
 

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Flamini probably out of the Dinamo Zagreb game

By 1970's Gooner

What can go wrong will go wrong!

Is it a curse or is it something else? I won't go into that debate for now. But to have two players go off during the game with injuries is too much to accept. The same thing happened at Sheffield Wednesday remember?

The most important game is the next game they say. But not on this occasion for sure. Because now Wenger's team selection for next Tuesday will probably determine Arsenal's fate for the rest of the Premier League season.

If the best available 11 are selected for Tuesday then Wenger will be taking a hell of a chance. He will be risking further injury and fatigue for his players. His main aim should be to rest key players and keep them fresh for the next League game.

And first on the list of non starters should be Flamini. If he does play and gets injured then Wenger might as well resign for he will have made a major error in risking the only fit and available defensive midfielder left in the club.

In the same vein the 'returning players' such as The Ox and Ramsey should also be left out altogether so as to give them another week of recovery.

Sanchez really needs a rest and since we don't have any other fit forward then Giroud should also be protected but he will probably have to start.

What I am really saying is lets sacrifice the Champions League.


Cech

Debuchy Mertesacker Gabriel Monreal

Cazorla Chambers

Campbell Ozil Gibbs

Giroud



Sunday, November 15, 2015

Injured players unlikely to return for next Saturday

By 1970's Gooner

All the Arsenal news in the media, including the sites specialising on fitness issues and likely return dates, have been giving us optimistic predictions of the likely return of the injured players.

But it seems that the probability of any one starting the match against West Brom has to be low.

Lets look at the most likely to return. The Ox has been posting videos of himself training saying that he is 80% to 90% close to full fitness. Well I am sorry to break the news to you but when a player says that he is close to fitness it really means that he is aiming to be at full fitness. It does not mean that he will get to full fitness.

In fact so desperate will the Ox be to get back, so as to get that run of games in the team now that others may not be around, that he is letting optimism get the better of him.

And even if he does achieve fitness Arsene Wenger will be reluctant to start him anyway in case there is a relapse considering his bad injury record. The best that can happen is that he is likely to start on the bench.

There has been no news at all coming out of Ramsey's 'camp'. Isn't this strange? One week away from the next game and no one is saying that Ramsey will be back. In fact it seems to me that Wenger will be announcing soon that Ramsey will take another week or two before he is ready.

That much has been revealed for Walcott already who is rumoured to be back at the beginning of December.

And as for Bellerin, for whom no news has come out yet, does Wenger risk him for next Saturday?

The point I am making is that Arsenal's injury record has deteriorated so much in recent weeks Wenger will be very reluctant to rush players back and risk jeopardising Arsenal's chances of putting a winning run during the Xmas period and indeed having these crucial players available and fit for the second crucial half of the season.

If he is going to rest players then it might as well be during the next few games as the opposition is 'relatively' not as strong.

Additionally their replacements (Campbell and Debuchy) after some dodgy performances are starting to settle in and Gibbs looked capable on the left wing against Spurs. The returns of Arteta and Flamini have also boosted the options available in midfield.

It seems to me that Wenger will take the conservative view and give these players another week to cement their fitness levels.







Thursday, November 12, 2015

Sanchez locks himself in his room

By 1970's Gooner

There is talk of Sanchez being rested by Arsene Wenger as he might be close to burn out. This is because he hardly had a rest after the Copa America, which Chile won. He was then thrown in at the deep end for the first game of the season against West Ham (coming on as substitute).

Sanchez is again back to his homeland for two crucial World Cup qualifiers beginning against Colombia.

Reports from their training camp in Chile indicate that although Sanchez's high energy approach has not deserted him, perhaps his recent tiredness has pushed him to seek a long enough recovery period between training sessions.

"Alexis I see an incredible moment. I see him so excited. If you move your energy to the game, Chile is very close to winning, "Sampaoli told a news conference.

However when the training was over Alexis retired to his room and locked himself in so as to not allow any distractions! The other players like Vidal and Vargas stayed behind signed autographs and generally lounged around watching the rest of the players, mostly subs, go through their training exercises.

The good thing is that Alexis appears to have realised that he needs to allow his body to recover. In this way he gives himself the best chance to come back without injury and a body rested enough so that performances leading to the Xmas period are not affected.