Tuesday 12 August 2008

Bad luck and bad planning

The squad is looking more than thread bare for tomorrow's trip to Holland; injuries to Toure, Diaby, Nasri, Senderos and Fabregas have left us rather exposed to failing to qualify for the Champions League next season. Add this list to Rosicky and Eduardo and we're not far from having a whole quality side out resting on the treatment table.

The injuries at the back are unlucky, leaving us with a likely partnership of Djorou and Gallas which should suffice. However a midfield of Denilson and Ramsey centrally is not strong enough in my opinion. Ramsey is a talent, but has looked as if he's not quite ready for the first team as yet, both physically and experience wise. Any more injuries in these areas could leave us utterly shafted for our opening league game on Saturday.

Imagine we pick up an injuries to Gallas and Denilson, while Toure, Fabregas and Senderos remain unfit. We will be horrifically short in the middle of the park in the key spine of our team. There's obviously an element of bad luck to this, however one should be reasonably prepared for injuries and we are clearly too weak in terms of depth in the centre of our midfield.

We should not have let Gilberto go before having a replacement lined up, this situation really should not have been allowed to happen. The financial implications for failing to qualify for the Champions League do not fill me with joy, to say the least. Maybe the kids will prove me wrong and we'll steamroller past FC Twente, hopefully that'll be the case. I don't know much about the opposition to be honest, I just know that we should not have let our squad become so depleted before such a key series of games.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Problem is the planned replacements have also picked up injuries, lol.

Wenger said he'd wait for the Twente game and then sign one of the midfielders he's been looking at. I have a feeling he will be doing after Wednesday.

Anonymous said...

We've long discussed the 'what if' event of an injured cesc, now we get to see the experiment. I'm kind of excited about it, but our youth policy has clearly now departed the realm of stupid and entered the realm of hilarious. I think we have just enough to get past twente, but randall and denilson against manu or chels, you are absolutely losing it wenger.

Anonymous said...

This is my first ever comment. I am a French teacher and should watch my language but this time.....Wenger is taking the piss! Allez Wenger t'es pas serieux!

Anonymous said...

jesus we are now so light weight going into are FIRST FUCKING MATCH !!!!!!!!! wenger has got it WRONG this pre season .. jesus arsene SPEND SOME CASH NOW .. THIS IS ARSENAL FC NOT SOME FUCKING YOUTH ACADAMY THAT SELLS THEM ANYWAY AS SOON AS BARCA OR REAL MADRID COME KNOCKING .. GOD HELP ME I CANT TAKE ANOTHER SEASON OF EBOUE IN MIDFEILD

Ted said...

Have to admit I am now dead nervous about tonight.
If anyone is interested, the team that played away against Sparta Prague in the equivalent game last year was:

Lehmann
Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Eboue, Flamini, Fabregas, Rosicky, Hleb, Van Persie.

Only 5 of those players are likely to figure tonight.

Obsinho said...

Balls to blind optimism - that would be a case of the blind leading the blind. With a blind man behind them kicking them in the arse with his gammy leg (we could give that job to Diaby or Rosicky in fact).

We lost last season as our squad was;
a.) too small
b.) not experienced enough
c.) injury prone.

So far our wheelings and dealings have made the squad;
a.) smaller
b.) less experienced
c.) one big sick note.

I am not looking forward to tonight, and am almost not looking forward to the season as a whole.

Anonymous said...

headline in tomorows newspaper.. LOCAL MAN COMMITS SUICIDE .. upon reading on its says.. a local man last night through himself under a train in dublin last night, eyewithness said they heard him shout something about a man called ( eboue ) followed by a scream. police are keen to speak to this (eboue) man and want him 2 come forward to them urgently

Obsinho said...

I know that the season hasn't even started, so that there are no scores in the Doom vs Optimist debate raging amongst gooners.

The very fact there is a debate does indicate something is wrong. Whether it is in the expectations of the fans, the finances of the club, the decisions of Wenger or even the Premiership as a whole is not yet clear.

I personally feel there is a great deal of anxiety leading to a level of anger. Tonight is not "Make or Break", but it will give cannon fodder to one of the two groups of Gooners.

I hope to DB10 that it is the Optimists who are smirking this evening.

Anonymous said...

man walks into a bar and says ( you hear about that plane crash last night i heard 260 people died ) bar man says jesus thats awfull . 10 mins later another man walks in and says ( u hear eboue played 90 mins last night against fc twente ) bar man collapes and dies of a massive heart attack