Morning, hope your weekend was a good one. An Arsenal win always helps. A birthday also helps. Helps you lie around all day Sunday going ‘Bleurgh’ after too much Havana Club the night before, but I’m not complaining.
Mostly because today is Monday. Tomorrow night sees the second Champions League group stage game with a home tie against Olymiacos. We’ve never played them before, as far as I can recall anyway, and my knowledge of Greek football isn’t good enough to tell you anything much about them. There are some familiar faces in their squad. Former Aston Villa defender Olof Mellberg joined this summer, they also have former West Brom and Sevilla midfielder Enzo Maresca and strangely former Blackburn striker Matt Derbyshire.
They’re also managed to Brazilian legend Zico who hopefully is one of those great players turned manager in the mould of Bryan Robson.
At the moment there’s no team news from our point of view but it looks as if Vito Mannone will continue in goal. According to the Arsene Wenger in the post-Fulham press conference Almunia won’t be fit so the young Italian will keep his place. After the Fulham game he said:
I have grown a lot and worked hard to be here. After five years it makes me happy to be here.
It’s clearly too early to say he’s got what it takes to be number one but maybe seeing that kind of performance from our number 3 keeper will give Almunia the kick up the arse he needs when he does return from his mystery illness.
We’ll be hoping to see Theo Walcott return to action, though it’ll most likely be from the bench, while I’ve yet to find any news of Eduardo who wasn’t in the squad for the trip to Craven Cottage. I doubt he was rested so you have to think he’s picked up a bit of a knock. How serious it it remains to be seen but we should find out later today when the manager talks the press.
Not a lot of other news about, as it happens. There’s some tenuous transfer stuff involving Carlos Vela and Spanish club Xerez but I think it’s more the Spaniards talking than anything else. I can’t see the Mexican being let go in January but there’s no doubt he’s got to start making an impact in the first team sooner rather than later.
Via John P on the Arsenal Mailing List comes news that a large number of the homes at the Highbury Square development have been acquired London&Stamford, a property company. A long term leasehold for a fee of £41.4m is the price being paid and this should easily free up around £29.99p for Arsene to spend in January. In seriousness though it’s got to be good news with the economy/property market in the state it’s currently in.
And that’s about that. A nice easy start to the week. More on the Champions League game tomorrow.
Till then.
