Happy Thursday to you all.
I’m not quite sure where to start but I suppose Saturday’s FA Cup game is as good a place as any. Abou Diaby reckons it’ll be a game which won’t lack intensity. And while United v Arsenal is rarely a game that disappoints you have to wonder will both teams have an eye on the Champions League games the following week.
I think the the manager will rotate as much as he possibly can – he might rest Gallas, Adebayor, Sagna even Clichy and Fabregas, but I suppose it all depends on who he’s got fit. Theo Walcott, who would be a candidate to start the game, is struggling with a thigh injury. According to that same article Cesc has a throat infection, Almunia (who wouldn’t have started anyway) has a stomach bug and Robin van Persie is being worked on by Dr Fronkensteen to bring him back to life before the end of the season.
Alexander Hleb says our league form has put the disappointment of the Carling Cup defeat to Sp*rs behind us. I don’t think it had too many long lasting effects but then Sp*rs are mostly an irrelevance. Could there be a psychological blow if we lose to United in the cup on Saturday? I’m not sure there would really. We’ve still got to go back there in the league and that’s the important game. Ryan Giggs has warned Arsenal to watch out and says he doubts Arsenal can take the pressure and expectation. There’s certainly nobody in the Arsenal squad who thinks the league is won, not by a long shot.
More crap from Catalunya sees Arsene Wenger linked with the Barcelona job. They are nothing if not a pack of tedious cunts, are they? They spent all summer saying Cesc should leave because Arsenal were finished, now when we’re top of the league they want to get their greedy little hands on our manager. Fuck off, stupid cunts. Seriously.
Giovanni Trapattoni has been appointed manager of Ireland that could mean Liam Brady becomes his assistant. We don’t quite know yet what that might mean to his Arsenal work, Trapattoni hopes Arsene Wenger will let him combine his duties with us with the Ireland role so we’ll see what happens. Have a listen to former Arsenal coach Don Givens (one of the panel appointed to select a new manager) talk about the Italian’s strange desire for the job.
Ahead of that Champions League game against AC Milan comes bad news for the Italian club. Ronaldo will miss the game after completely severing the tendon in his left knee, an injury which could well end his career. There are supposed doubts over Kaka and Pato but I suspect both of them will be fit to play.
Arsenal have moved from 9th to 5th in Deloitte’s football rich list.
And that’s about that. Time to do some Arsecast prep, tomorrow I’ll be talking to Amy Lawrence amongst other things, so make sure you tune in for that.
Till then.
