Arsenal have announced the squad for tonight’s Carling Cup game with Manchester City, and Arsene Wenger has included a good smattering of first team players.
Whether or not they all play from the start remains to be seen; the smart money would be on him having some experience and quality on the bench if needed against a team who have spent more on players in the last two years than Arsenal have in their entire existence (this may be false but it sounds good).
The squad is as follows: Andrey Arshavin – Yossi Benayoun – Marouane Chamakh – Francis Coquelin – Johan Djourou – Craig Eastmond – Lukasz Fabianski – Emmanuel Frimpong – Gervinho – Laurent Koscielny – Ju Young Park – Vito Mannone – Ignasi Miquel – Nico Yennaris – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – Oguzhan Ozyakup – Sebastien Squillaci – Thomas Vermaelen
Speaking before the game, the manager admitted the Carling Cup wasn’t the priority but said we’d be out to win the game.
“Every time Arsenal are involved, it is our pride and ambition that are [at stake]. We want to qualify and we want to win the game. Therefore we will try to give absolutely everything. It is important for the whole Club to show our strength again.”
There will be full live blog coverage of the game here later on so if you can’t find a TV or a stream, or you’re stuck in work, keep up to date with live, up to the minute, text commentary.
“………..against a team who have spent more on players in the last two years than Arsenal have in their entire existence (this may be false but it sounds good).”
LOL. Brilliant line
It may actually be true. Someone look into this please. It may well turn out that Arsenal have made a profit in their 125 years of existence xD
I am really glad to see Craig Eastmond back, shame he picked up that injury or he could of really pushed on.
Coquelin and Frimpong look far better prospects at the moment in my opinion.
Eastmond? Oh lord…
Hopefully he’ll have Vermaelen and Gervinho on the bench. I’d rather they get some rest for the real target this season – Finish at least 4th and continue the ‘rebuild’ in the summer.
I say that from a standpoint of wanting to win stuff this season – while also realising the minimum we should be aiming for is 4th: the priority is the League… before I get jumped on for being an anti-gooner-nonfan-pessimistic-Nasri-looking-sp*rsfan-cunt.
Why you anti-gooner-non-fan…..ah, just finished the rest of your post.
Fair do’s.
No Ryo? Is he injured or just not selected for this one?
he’s on tour in Japan with arsenal ladies team
Ha. They took a picture next to a life-size picture of him, not the real guy. Ryo is out with an ankle injury.
I stand corrected. Good lord.
I found him
http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/oddballs/882930-ryo-miyachi-selected-for-arsenal-ladies-tour-of-japan
He’s with the ladies in Japan….
I shit you not.
Funniest thing I’ve heard for a while, I assume he’s part mascot part marketing stooge out there but he better stlll be injured, otherwise it’s not funny but rather sad.
Good point. Bloggs, do you know if he’s had a Diabyesque mishap. Will he be LANS?
picked up an ankle injury a few weeks back in the reserves
Errrr…where’s Rosicky these days? Needed his experience tonight. Wenger doesn’t even talk about him these days. Triffic lad! not cool boss!
Had a Hamstring strain at the wknd
I just wanted to see Miyaichi in action, shame he is still on the injury blues.
Rosicky was injured a few weeks back. I reight feel for him because he was playing better than he has in a long time.
Pretty decent squad. I think performance is more important than result in the CC sometimes. It’s great experience for the younger players. Don’t get me wrong I would love to beat them bastards but wont be too disappointed if we work hard and still get beat as long as we don’t get walked over.
Potential City lineup:
Hart
Zabaleta
Kolarov
K.Toure
Savic
de Jong
Hargreaves
Razak
Johnson
Nasri
Dzeko
Since Oxencart-Chamberpot is the new Maradona, there is simply nothing City can do to stop him scoring, and us winning.
As long as we don’t get sh*t on like it happened at O.T
Arsene should put 6 men on the horse faced mercenary & then hopefully he’ll find so little space he’ll disappear down the wormhole he crawled out of…
COYG!
He’s gonna get Frimponged.
This is totally random, but I still think Chamackh will prove to be a good striker. He just has that look/posture of a good striker for some reason (I don’t really know what’s that supposed to mean really)!! First to score tonight..
Please share your drugs with the rest of us!
To be fair to Chamakh he looked interested at least against Fulham which is more than I could say for a few of his performances before that. I would write him off completely except for his start last season. I like to think there’s a decent player in there somewhere…
No he sucks.
a massive mancity squad against young lads,i hope we don’t get smashed
oh yeh, Craig Eastmond. I forgot he existed!
He just seemed to vanish off the face of the earth. Would be nice to see him improve on the last couple of seasons. A man with a point to prove I reckon, but I would be surprised if he features ahead of either of CoqPong
The Verminator’s a bit surprising but maybe the boss just wants some extra
experience on the bench and in the dressing room.
TV and Kos will start. The only dilemma is who plays behind Chamakh, Yossi or Arshavin. the starting XI will be this:
Flappy
Djourou – TV – Kos – Miquel
Frimpong – LeCoq
Yossi
TheOx – Chamakh – Arsh
PS Eastmond doesn’t cut it and will be sold. They’re just trying to give him a bit of a shop window. He’s miles behind Frimp & LeCoq – who are miles behind Song.
and Song is miles behind .. eh nobody. Go Song!
Since Sagna and Jenkinson have been injured I haven’t seen anyone mention that Coquelin could play at RB, hasn’t he played there in the past.
Arshavin not even in the starting lineup… do you reckon we’ll move him on in Jan?
shit…
we lost..
How the fuck did them wankers win that, think the frimster had words with na£ri after the game proberly to tell him how shit he was
city never got out of second gear. In the second half arsenal had all the possession but created nothing until the last seconds of the game. If RvP doesn’t play then arsenal don’t score.