Marouane Chamakh and Ju Young Park will both feature against Leeds United as Arsene Wenger calls on his reserves for Monday’s third round FA Cup tie.
Unable to play Gervinho, Thomas Vermaelen, Johan Djourou, Andre Santos, Bacary Sagna, Jack Wilshere, Abou Diaby, Carl Jenkinson and Kieran Gibbs, and with Robin van Persie set to be rested, the boss still claims he has enough quality in his squad to field a strong side.
“[I will play] a strong side, a normal side,” he told Arsenal Player.
“Maybe one or two will be rested, but apart from that I think we will still have Marouane Chamakh.
“Robin van Persie will certainly be rested for this game. We will hopefully have Chamakh available, [Ju-Young] Park available.
“Gervinho will maybe miss the game because they [the Ivory Coast players] have to turn up 14 days before the [Africa Cup of Nations] tournament starts.”
It looks as though it is at the back where Arsenal will be most stretched with four full-backs injured and two centre-backs out of action. Clarifying the team news, Wenger continued:
“From Monday night we have Djourou who will be suspended of course. Vermaelen will not be back and that creates quite a limitation at the back because it means no defender will come back.
“Sagna and Wilshere are going well of course but it is too early for them. Gibbs is doing well but none of them are ready for the next few weeks at least. We have to cope at the moment with the situation we face as well as we can. I believe that Thomas Vermaelen is the first to be back after Swansea.”
I love the idea of seeing Henry in our 125 shirt but how come the one time Wenger should be looking to the future he is not! In the past a few older players would of done us nicely but now we need someone in their early 20s who can back up/learn from RVP and eventually take over from him. Maybe Wenger is planning for Joel Campbell to be our future front man.
I’d say that’s the case re: Campbell, along with Ryo and AOC. What we in fact need are some ‘now’ players (not ‘then’ players like Henry) but Wenger worries about what he’ll do with these young players in the future before immediate concerns. Wenger is focusing on the future as much as he’s ever been.
to mention some more, Afobe, Aneke, Toral, Henderson, Frimpong, coq.
Can’t we have Arsenal ‘B’ team playing in Championship?
Oh and back 4 I suggested as well.
Strikers on loan: Bendtner, Vela, Campbell and Wellington
Strikers in the reserves: Afobe, Ansah, Freeman, Neita, Watt and Murphy
I know we want to get rid of Bendtner and Murphy doens’t ever look like he’s going to make it but then we have a lot a stikers who are still looking like they can and probably will.
After regular games, Vela is starting to look like the player many believed he could turn into and may be a good shout as the back up striker due to age and ability. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIXaQPGLszY – Still an awesome goal
Where is Afobe? Still injured? Had he been fit would have made breakthrough this season. Btw what about this back 4.. Nico–Boateng-Ignasi-Angah.
it will be this back four
Nico-Squillaci-Ignasi-Anga
Squid gotta play
Its a massive bloody gamble. AW/the board made a massive gamble in seasons past and didn’t invest in improving the squad which saw two of our best players leave. We made some good panic buys that filled the gaps.
What we do in this window will – I think – ultimately influence Robin’s decision as to whether he stays.
Then again we have Chamakh and Park. Score.
£100 Chamakh doesn’t score in this one either!
How long is Jenkinson out for? Initially it was 3 weeks, but that was about 2 months ago and we’ve heard very little since.
I would like to know this as well. I understand it on transfers but I do feel us fans are kept far too deep in the dark when it comes to squad news. We get news on the few injured players Arsene picks to tell us about but we hear nothing of the others.
yeah, what happened to diaby’s 10-day return?
Henry needs to sign by noon to be available. Looks like we’re having a deadline day rehearsal.
If we find one or two, then we will add but they have to be super super quality.
Well that saying is as old as time which means the two forgotten men are super super quality too. You wonder how messi would rate on that ‘super super quality ‘ scale. Just hoping we win it with ease and keep everyone fit. And the two mancs get a replay. And sp*rs get a replay. And chelsea gets a replay. I know its too much to ask but my christmass wishes didn’t come true so here’s to hoping
Somehow it feels like Arseblog has been extra bitter over certain things after facing the ragestorm some people came up with after the Fulham defeat.
MC29 is just another defensive striker like heskey and TW14 is gradually bleaching to that catergory and the worst is that he is English or may be uncle Kenny D will save the day
What are you talking about?
i think he’s hoping that dalgleish sells us andy carroll? or perhaps he’s confused and wants a saxophonist to serenade chamakh back into the goals?
i dunno
I meant that walcot is terribly chamahked and Lpool re in need of English flops
Then i deduce you have little knowledge of how the Arsenal team and more importantly Walcott plays. His game has stalled while we are missing fullbacks. When we had fullbacks he had 5 assists and 2 goals but had laid countless other chances on for RvP and Gervinho. He also looked like his game had turned a corner as the front 3 weren’t always outnumbered. Also, Chamakh is a target man and not a defensive striker. The Arsenal style of play isn’t really suited to his abilities but he was available on a free and had actually started life at… Read more »
Are you off your tiny little mind? Theo’s had two bad games in what, nearly half a season. He’s had man flu. Thank frig fans like you are a minority.
Another lost soul.
Arsene, I m grateful for that tutorial and to this blog family for their good works..spot on!
Who is this Park Ju Young , Never heard of him…..
Anyway I hope he scores a hat trick , I think he is a good player
Btw guys have a laugh and I bet you will for next half an hr..
http://football-talk.co.uk/54990/liverpool-bid-hijack-arsenals-thierry-henry-move/?
If Mertesacker isnt in Wengers plans for leeds he should be back in Germany getting Podolski drunk and whispering in his ear.
Do the Herbert Chapman!!
Inception style
I think arsena.com deliberately go out to wind up the fans- “Unusual mistakes cost us win at Fulham”, I mean for fxxk sake, ‘unusual’, surely rneeds redefining to ‘textbook’ in their dictionary.
Daily Mail reporting Henry deal is signed
Heard that as well on henry. Sweet.
Love the FA cup. Leeds are shit we should the righteous thing and dispatch em.
Ken bates- what a cunt.
If Wenger don’t get his arse in gear and sign us another goal scorer and full back to help us win something or at least get into the Champ League spots, we gonna be saying bye-bye to Rvp next year.
Striker yes, fullback no. It’s very rare for a team to lose all their fullbacks and then their adaptable defenders while waiting for said fullbacks to regain their fitness.
I agree with Arsene’s post. While I can see the need for a fullback because of the injury crisis, buying one in January isn’t our biggest need. I think the greatest need is for another option in attack. Henry is a great addition but isn’t a long term fix and while I’m excited to see him in the red and white again who knows what he will be able to contribute or if he will contribute on the score sheet. I personally think he will but it’s a funny auld game and you never know. We need another striker to… Read more »
I heard we were about to sign Karin benzema and Gary Cahill. Any truth to that?
Its true it was said somewhere. But you should stop reading caughtoffside and tribalfootball. You will get your football heart broken. I haven’t visited them and the like but i’ld put my house on it that they’ve linked us with a sensational £___m move for messi and pato at some stage
Huntelaar is fantastic and I hoped we’d sign him before he went to Real. He’d fit into our style of football perfectly. For me, signing him would be a signing on a scale to when we signed Denis.
So many strikers on loan, I want to see joel campbell!
Yes a dream come tru titi12
Youll may have never heard the name dzagoev but he is an attacking midfirlder for cska moscow who can play on the wings like gerves and TW14.he would b a star for us