Hello readers!
Well I thought the week was going relatively well until Arsene's press conference Thursday afternoon. We had a week to relax, regroup and refocus. Then we got the weekly dose of terrible news. It was like Wenger had a voodoo doll for every Arsenal fan in the world and he was repeatedly stabbing at it with a pin knife. First he confirmed Johan Djourou would be out for six weeks. It was first feared he would miss the rest of the season but there is a slight chance he may play a small part in the run in. Earlier in the week the Swiss FA claimed his injury wasn't as bad as first feared and that they were hoping he could play a part in their qualifier later this month. It was a bit out of the blue, a man dislocates his shoulder and his national team expect him back in two weeks. Strange gang them Swiss.
The boss went on to say that Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott and Alex Song would not feature against West Brom this weekend. Three key players that are of huge importance to this team but I think we can manage without them tomorrow. All three are also likely to stay with us during the international break which is positive news in a way. It certainly reduces the risk of them doing further damage plus you all know the story with Arsenal players going away with their countries and coming back crocked. The good news is that I've heard Theo and Cesc should be fit for our next league game against Blackburn. I haven't heard anything on Song's knee injury but it can't be too serious. There are whispers going around that Abou Diaby may be out for the season. I really can't comment on this because I have no knowledge of the situation whatsoever but if I do hear something I shall let you know via my Twitter page.
Don't think I'm finished with the injury news oh no! When asked about Thomas Vermaelen Wenger said:
"For Thomas Vermaelen the season is over. In fairness he has not played since September, I never expected him to be fit before the end of the season. He is not out on the field yet and it is impossible [for him to play] after six months without competition. I am confident he will have a full recovery but for this season we cannot rely on him."
It really is gut-wrenching news. I was really optimistic that the Belgian would return and play a key part in the latter stages of the season but clearly that is not the case. He has had setback after setback since he picked up that achilles injury on international duty (grrrrr) back in August. We know its a delicate area that needs to be treated with 100& caution but we didn't know at the time that we wouldn't see him again for months when it was originally thought that he would be back in action in a few days. It also puts further question marks around Arsene's decision not to sign a centre-back in January. He said he never expected Vermaelen to return so he obviously knew he was taking a huge gamble. I just hope it dosen't come back to bite him. After Djourou's recent injury we now have just two natural centre-backs. Alex Song can play there too but its not an option we want to be forced into. There were also suggestions we could bring back Kyle Bartley from Rangers but last night he was injured in their Europa League game and has been ruled out for a few weeks. We're sitting in a tight rope in this area. Fingers crossed everyone can stay fit.
That is it as far as injuries go. Now we're tasked with the challenge of overcoming West Brom tomorrow in a three o' clock kick off. The Baggies are still unbeaten since Roy Hodgson took over and as I tweeted yesterday, I'll be a very unhappy man if that is still the case tomorrow evening. They're on a good run of form at the moment. Last week they beat Birmingham City 3-1 at St Andrews, yes the same Birmingham that beat us in the cup final. I think we can win comfortably against this lot if everyone shows up. It can't be a case of the likes of Nasri and RVP carrying the team while the others coast through the game (Not everyone, just certain individuals). West Brom will work their socks off tomorrow, I can guarantee you that. They are just as desperate for points as we are because they're right in the middle of a relegation battle. The fact that we haven't won a game in a few weeks makes this game even more important. The players confidence has been shot recently but they need to turn over a new leaf now and remember our form in the league is still very good.
Here is the team I would like to see tomorrow:
Almunia
Sagna - Squillaci - Koscielny - Clichy
Nasri - Denilson - Wilshere - Arshavin
Chamakh - Van Persie
I know I've gone from the usual 4-3-3 formation to 4-4-2. I just think with the players we're missing in midfield it might be no harm to take a different approach. That midfield looks good to me, all those players are very good at keeping possession and are more than capable of creating chances. The worry for me and for a lot of you I'm sure is the Squillaci - Koscielny partnership at the back. We're relying on those two to click now and I think they can do it. They've played many games together earlier on in the season. Here's a list of them:
Bolton - Won 4-1
Braga - Won 6-0
Sunderland - Drew 1-1
West Brom - Lost 3-2
Belgrade - Won 3-1
Chelsea - Lost 2-0
Shakhtar Donestk - Won 5-1
West Ham - Won 1-0
Tottenham - Lost 3-2
Aston Villa - Won 4-2
Fulham - Won 2-1
Man.United - Lost 1-0
Wigan - Drew 2-2
Its an inconsistant record but they both have the ability to do the job required. We've still won big games with them at the back. Its been hyped as a nightmare partnership but it could be a lot worse, last year we had to turn to Silvestre. There are no more excuses now. There are ten league games left, win them all and we're champions. It sounds easy but it really is a monumental task when you look at the fixtures facing us. The good news is that United's ficture list dosen't look too rosy for them either and they also have a couple of injury problems to deal with. Let's take each game as it comes and treat it with the utmost importance. We can win the league but we can also really mess this up. Keep the faith and get behind the players for this big run in. It starts tomorrow. Come on Arsenal!
Till next time.
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