So the club indirectly confirmed the bad news about Theo Walcott last night. While commentating for French TV Arsene Wenger said:
Theo dislocated his shoulder during training, he will be out for at least three months.
Well, great biskwits made of arse flotsam. That is bad news. Theo was established as our first choice right sided midfielder and the alternatives are a bit depressing. When he gets fit again it’ll probably be Eboue playing there and he simply does not offer the same attacking threat as Theo. In a period where we need to be as efficient as possible and to score as many goals as possible due to our leaky defence this is bad news.
Theo is going to have surgery to correct the problem which should make the shoulder much stronger so reports about how his career is at risk should be taken with a very hefty pinch of salt. It’s just the usual suspects making a big drama. Hopefully he can recover well and quickly and we wish him all the best. Hurry back, Billy Whizz!
Hearing what Arsene has to say about Theo’s injury in more detail will be interesting, to say the least. We know he’s never been a fan of international friendlies, particularly pointless ones like the ones this week, so I suspect he’s not going to hold back. His frustration won’t be helped by how important Theo is to us. As for the issue of compensation I think Arsenal should go for it. I did some reading around last night and came across an article about Michael Owen and one of his many injures suffered whilst on England duty. An FA spokesperson said:
The FA takes out policies to cover for injuries sustained on international duty. This figure can be up to £100,000 a week but it is not the FA who pay this money out, it is our insurers, if they deem it is fit to do so.
So the precedent is set and if the FA are paying insurance then we would be foolish not to make a claim. Losing a player for a week or two is one thing but three months entirely another.
Where exactly this leaves us for Saturday’s game against Man City remains to be seen. We’ll be without Cesc through suspension and I think Eboue is still injured. If that remains the same then you have to think one of Ramsey or even Jack Wilshere will be drafted into the team, perhaps to play in a 5 man midfield. One thing Theo’s injury does is highlight the paucity of options available to us. Don’t get me wrong, I think Ramsey and Wilshere are great young players but that we’re hoping for either a 16 or a 17 year old to come in and save our bacon just isn’t right for a club like Arsenal. Anyway, we’ll find out more about that later on, I’m sure.
One man who will come back into the team is Robin van Persie who scored two for the Dutch last night. Hopefully he can keep those shooting boots on because I think we’re going to need them. There were no other reports of injuries for those involved in matches last night, fingers crossed it remains that way.
Arsene Wenger also hinted at changes in the centre of defence, talking up the qualities of Johan Djourou. He said:
He has gained in personality, in determination and in quality. He is pushing all the other players. At the back you want players who are strong in the duels and strong in the air. Johan’s size is a big advantage. He is among the top quality.
I really don’t see the harm in putting him in at this stage. We’ve seen Kolo + Gallas doesn’t really work, nor does Gallas + Sylvester (9 goals conceded in 5 league games with them at the back), so I suppose it’s time to see if Gallas + Djourou works (despite the obvious common denominator in those previous partnerships). There are signs that it might though. I think Gallas had his best spell as an Arsenal defender around the turn of last year when Kolo had gone to the ACN. Senderos played and as the kind of centre half who attacks the ball he allowed Gallas to play the ‘mopping up’ role he does best.
If Djourou plays in a similar manner then at least we’ll have someone who adds some presence and aggression to the centre of defence and we might see an improvement in the performances of the captain which, until we can address the problems in defence during the transfer window, would be very welcome.
Right, not much more happening at this early stage. The players will be coming back in dribs and drabs today, leaving only tomorrow for the manager to assess his squad and get things in order for what’s going to be a tough game in Manchester.
More on that and other stuff tomorrow.
