So with our next match not for another 6 days (I have to say I hate Monday night games – you have the whole weekend with not a bit of Arsenal), many of our players are now heading away on international duty.
There are friendlies and World Cup qualifiers this week and while we’ll be hoping, as usual, that we come through without picking up any injuries, most eyes this week will be on Croatia and Eduardo. He made the bench on Sunday against Sp*rs and will play some part in their game against Romania tomorrow. Croatia coach Slaven Bilic says:
Having spoken to Arsene Wenger and seen their practice sessions, I am assured that Eduardo is in great shape and he will play a part in Bucharest although he will not start. It could be a turning point in his quest to resurrect his career, as it’s clear to both Wenger and me that he can no longer make progress from practice only.
Some might question the wisdom of him going away on international duty but I don’t see the problem. He needs to get playing time under his belt, he also needs competitive action to gain confidence and if there is a problem, or if he picks up any little niggly injury, then it’s as likely to happen when he’s playing for us as when he’s playing for Croatia. If he comes through it well then it’s an important step in his rehabilitation.
I always felt that his absence was a big factor in our slump last season. Leaving aside the shock of his injury, which obviously affected the team, he was the kind of player who could have made a difference in that sequence of draws which ultimately saw us drop out of the title race. Maybe the reverse will be true this time – his re-emergence for the Arsenal might help move us back up the table. Fingers crossed all goes well for him.
One man not going away is Andrei Arshavin. I read last week that Guus Hiddink (new Chelsea manager anyone?) was going to allow the Owly one to stay in London to acclimatise but going through the fixtures I can’t see that Russia even have a game.
Anyway, those expecting to see him make his debut against Cardiff in the FA Cup will be disappointed to hear that he is ineligible for this match due to the fact he was not registered as an Arsenal player when the first game took place at Ninian Park. This means that his debut will come, at the earliest, against Sunderland on Saturday week.
Meanwhile Robin van Persie has bemoaned the amount of draws the team are picking up. As I mentioned yesterday we’ve drawn 6 of our last 9 games and van Persie knows more goals are needed, saying:
We are not scoring enough goals, we are not playing well enough but everyone stays positive and we are trying to help each other. The basics are there, it’s just up to us to finish it off now.
And he’s looking for the reinforcements to make a difference:
Everyone is just really happy that Eduardo is back. Hopefully he can play, the sooner the better. Arshavin has also looked good in training so there is more to come.
One thing we desperately lack though is creativity from midfield. While we have tightened up at the back the supply to the strikers has dried up in the absence of Fabregas and even Theo who is capable of making space and providing the final ball.
To expect van Persie to continue scoring and making goals at the rate he had been was too much, I think, the burden needs to be shared and unfortunately nobody else has stepped up. Adebayor has struggled – George Graham blasted him yesterday for underperforming since getting his new contract – and there’s no denying that. However, while there’s no doubt he needs to work harder and put himself about more you can’t ignore the fact that what the strikers are being fed from midfield are mere morsels compared to what went before.
I’m not making excuses for him, by any means, but that’s a fact. Let’s face it, he hasn’t even had the supply to miss the three or four good chances he apparently misses every game. So hopefully the introduction of Arshavin will provide us with a bit more from midfield and when you think about Arshavin, then Walcott and Cesc coming back into the team it’s easy to see how we can improve.
I think if we find the proper partner for Cesc, and I still remain to be convinced by any of the candidates currently at the club, then we have the makings a very strong midfield. For now though, we’ve got what we’ve got and let’s hope we can forge some kind of decent unit out of them.
I suppose before the end we have to touch on the sacking of Tony Adams by Portsmouth. He has made no secret of the fact he desperately wants the Arsenal job one day but at the moment that looks little more than a daydream. He’s been a bit unlucky at Portsmouth, he took over a squad which was struggling, lost good players to transfers and injuries, but the jury is still very much out on whether or not he’s capable of managing at the top level.
Right, that’ll be that. Have a good day.
