Morning, today’s the day we find out about Cesc’s injury with Arsene Wenger already admitting the captain is unlikely to play against Celtic tomorrow night.
The Mail is reporting that he’s going to be out for three weeks, which would see him miss the United game, but we’ll have to just wait and see. Most of what you read in the Mail should be taken with a hefty pinch of salt. The difficulty is that after the United game we head into a pesky Interlull and if we manage to get him through that game there’s no chance for him to rest. Spain will be quite within their rights to call him up.
Arsene may have to think a bit beyond United in terms of this one. If he declares him injured it’ll mean Cesc can avoid international duty and recover properly before the visit to the other, richer, part of Manchester on September 12th. I have to think the manager will err on the side of caution here. It’s early in the season and we’d be better off ensuring he’s fully fit and ready for the rest of the campaign instead of trying to nurse him through an injury which could get worse.
The Mail further speculates that to cover Cesc’s as yet unconfirmed absence we’ll ‘step up’ our pursuit of St Etienne midfielder Blaise Matuidi. I’m pinching salt again here but with just a week to go until the transfer window closes speculation and rumour will hit fever pitch, I’m sure.
This despite the manager calling his squad ‘massive’. He cites the absence of players like Nasri, Rosicky, Senderos, Wilshere, Vela and Djourou from the Portsmouth squad as evidence as the size of the squad, and when you look at it that way he has a point, I suppose. Nevertheless the departure of Commander Worf from Everton to Man City may finally see the Senderos deal go through and there’s still the feeling that we could strengthen in defensive areas, maybe in both midfield and at centre-half.
And if injuries took their toll last season, and the season before, and, indeed, the season before that, shouldn’t we be prepared for the same thing to happen this time around? If it doesn’t then the manager is left with the best kind of problem he can have – a strong, competitive squad with plenty of quality in reserve. Seven days and counting, let’s see.
Andrei Arshavin is digging the new Arsenal formation. He did speak last season about not really enjoying life on the left but things are different now. He says:
I used to play on the left-hand side of a four-man midfield but we’ve gone to three in the middle and that has helped me become more of an attacking player. We can move anywhere depending on the situation in front of us. If I see an opportunity I can exploit on the right-hand side of the pitch I’ll go over and take advantage of it.
Funnily enough I think it’s the forward players who are taking longest to adapt to the new formation. The extra midfielder is providing the likes of Denilson, Diaby, Song and Cesc more freedom, more space, more options in front of them, but with only one goal from the 12 we’ve scored so far this season coming from a striker it’s clear the lads up top are still getting used to things. When they do click, however, I’m expecting us to win every game by at least nine goals. Otherwise that French chancer who thinks he knows how to manage a football club can do one.
Emmanuel Petit compares Abou Diaby to Patrick Vieira but says that before you can compare them Diaby needs to needs to perform to a Vieira level for a couple of years and win some trophies at Arsenal. Right. Erm …
Ivan Gazidis talks about the Arsenalisation (proof that we’re not an American corporation as otherwise it’d be Arsenalization, right?) of the Grove and the efforts to make the new home more Arsenalised. See? He says:
Listening to our fans, we were hearing a consistent message that, while Emirates is a superb modern stadium, they want us to make it more of a home. Ultimately it’s our fans’ house, so we’ve listened to that and taken steps over the last months to engage them in a process of discussion about what these ideas should be – and then to implement as many of them as we can early on in the new season.
The ideas, such as the naming of different areas instead of them being quadrants, are long overdue and it’s good that the club are listening to the fans and responding to the feedback. If I could choose any one thing to change though it’d be getting rid of that poxy Elvis song beforehand. It really has nothing to do with Arsenal, I’ve always thought if a club has its own anthem it’s something that has developed over time, and it’s little wonder the atmosphere is a bit subdued when you’re playing a sleepy old tune like beforehand.
Personally I’d go with something much more upbeat, something to get the crowd really worked up – like this. Or this (heh). Or maybe we could have a custom made song called ‘We are the Arsenal, let’s kick the fuck out of these cockgorgons today’. But there’s gotta be something better than Elvis. Like silence.
Right, that’ll be about that. A fuller preview of the Celtic game tomorrow and, of course, we’ll have the low down on the injury news. Till then.
