Howdy, another day of rest for us after many others played yesterday. Wins for Sp*rs and Mancini City keep things relatively tight at the top, tonight’s game between Liverpool and Aston Villa is a very interesting one indeed.
From our point of view there’s no team news as yet. One thing is certain though, there’ll be no Cesc Fabregas. I love the headlines this morning saying ‘Arsenal fear Fabregas will miss three weeks’. Well, duh. Of course we fear that. Same we fear ‘Fabregas being eaten by a bloody great buffalo’ and ‘Fabregas abducted by those aliens from the Simpsons who make him go about twirling, always twirling’. It doesn’t necessarily mean those things are going to happen though.
What’s important is to get him fully fit because the run of fixtures we have at the end of January/early February are going to be so crucial. Villa away, United home, Chelsea away, Liverpool home. One after the other. That is some challenge and those games are obviously going to have a big impact on our title hopes.
We need to make sure he’s 100% fit for those games. In the meantime we’re going to have to cope until he’s ready, something which Thomas Vermaelen believes we can do, despite him lauding Cesc as the best midfielder he’s ever played with. He says:
He is the best midfield player I have played with. He is really smart. In training it is really difficult to defend against him. You’d think he has eyes in the back of his head because he sees everything.
Cesc is very important for us. But if he is injured we have to do it without him.
And that is the simple fact. The players can’t allow his loss to become an excuse or anything like it and it’s time for others to show they can win games. It’s probably a good chance for Aaron Ramsey to play a few games in a row and if Abou Diaby can keep up his recent form then I think the fixtures are kind enough for us to manage his absence.
There’s also the good news that Alex Song doesn’t leave for the ACN until January 4th, so that’s an unexpected but welcome bonus. Emmanuel Eboue has left already to join up with the Ivory Coast squad.
Also singing the praises of the captain was Andrei Arshavin. He says:
It was brilliant how he came onto the pitch for 20 or 30 minutes, scored twice, and was then replaced. He was great. I very much hope that his old injury won’t put him out for long.
I don’t think it’s unfair to expect Arshavin to shoulder a bit more responsibility in Cesc’s absence either. He’s experienced, he’s got the quality and like Cesc is capable of providing something in a match which can take the points for us. He was quiet against Villa, it has to be said, so he’s due a big game or two.
Not a lot else happening really. The only transfer speculation sees Vito Mannone linked with a return to Italy with AC Milan. Not sure there’s much in that, to be honest. He seems like a nice young Mannone but I’m not sure he did enough during his time in the team to attract a team like Milan.
Just three days until the transfer window opens. Where are all the rumours?
Till tomorrow.
