Early reports about Laurent Koscielny suggest the Frenchman is set to miss ‘at least’ two weeks with the injury he picked up against Chelsea.
The centre-half was forced off at half-time with a calf strain and will be absent for the games against Man City and Everton, and could struggle to make the FA Cup semi-final against Wigan.
It means that Thomas Vermaelen will come back into the side for tonight’s game against Swansea and the Belgian will get the chance he’s been waiting for all season. It also, rather worryingly, leaves the club with just two fit centre-halves for a crucial period of the season, leaving us with no room for further aches or strains in that department.
If there is a glimmer of light, it’s that Koscielny is usually a very quick healer, so hopefully that will be the case with this current knock.
Hector Bellerin has been called up to the squad for tonight’s game against Swansea to provide some defensive cover on the bench.
Sigh.
Wenger – ‘Arteta will be out for two weeks’
Kos – ‘No, I’m the one injured’
Wenger – ‘Shut up Vermaelen and run around some cones’.
Wow that joke is so multifaceted.
The injury problems we seem to get every year have to be addressed. A real solution needs to be sought. Maybe the problem is overworking the players? They should be given sufficient rest and a better rotation policy needs to be used. Who else has their TOP FOUR players out right now??? Ozil, Theo, Ramsey and Wilshire ALL OUT. It is ridiculous. We have enough players to make two midfields, one against the lesser teams and one against the top teams. Maybe a 3 match on 1 match off policy to keep the best players fresh and injury free. Wilshere… Read more »
So Wilshere is one of our TOP FOUR players but you can’t spell his name properly? Some fan you are..
Tommy V has got his chance now.
Lets hope he grabs it by the haunches and humps it into submission.
We’re talking about Tommy here, not Bendtner.
Just hope TV can get a good partnership just like what Kos and Mert does. #COYG
No chance unfortunately.
The Verminator is a very good player. He might surprise you.
I have more hope for TV and BFG- it’s Kos and TV that are too similar of players.
We’re dropping like flies now. God help us if either Per or Verm pick up a knock.
I guess the silver lining is that TV is more similair to kos, pacey and aggressive. So its better than having to lose BFG. From what I saw this season TV has been solid. I really hope he takes this chance remind everyone how great he is, I love him hes been through so much in the last months and has dealt 100% professionaly with it and done the job when called upon
Let’s hope he stays eh?
Yes.. YES..
*Licks lips*
Made me chuckle, even if I annoyed myself doing so
Sagna is our 4th choice CB so we DO have another option if Vermaelen/BFG get hurt.
This will be a problem next season when we don’t have Sagna though.
Is this 2 weeks in real time or ‘2 weeks’ in arsenal time?
its 2 weeks pre-setback
Would be nice if we had just got a quality striker and a decent back-up centre back in the first place!!!! Would not have to worry about player injuries so much and might even be top of the table with the extra goals scored!!! Can’t help but feel this season has been a massive opportunity lost in the league!!!
Vermaelen isnt decent for you ? I dont think personally its possible to find a better CB in the whole world, whose willing to sit on the bench for as long as he has. I really hope he stays. But fans like you dont deserve him
if you guys seriously think we can easily get back up for Kos and BFG whose better than TV, youre a deluded lot.
really disapointing to see the lack of support for a player who did so much for the club, then went through such a hard time, and still shows up when called upon.
give credit where its due
“Right now Lynn I need two positives, you know, one to cancel out this negative and another to just be positive”
Seriously could you with some good news/results. #COYG
Completely off topic but will Ramsey play again this season?
That’s entirely on topic. he was the player of the season who had a great chemistry with giroud and an engine that let him help shield the centre backs.
Probably a bit more rotation, with the quality back-up in TV, might have kept Kos fit & TV happier?
In hindsight, a brilliant idea, but lets admit it. most of us never for a second thought of tinkering with has been the most solid part of our team for 2 seasons
Oh come on! This is getting ridiculous!
According to the tabloids Sagna’s off to Citeh in the summer. Losing our best players for free and to a rival. (I’m not sure City fans would consider us rivals after the away maulings we’ve had from the top three though).
You don’t rotate defenders, especially not centre backs because working as a pair is so important. Off topic but let’s get behind the team tonight. What’s been done wrong or right in the transfer market had been debated endlessly. Lots of support for the rest of the season can lift the team
And the hits just keeps coming!! I do wonder how the other top four sides would cope with all their best players going out injured for months at a time? It is great in this instance to have TV as replacement though as he is a quality international defender.
Koscielny has been excellent for us over the majority of games this season and I feel he will be missed against City at the weekend
However , I feel we have missed a trick with Vermaelen as I would have liked to have seen him start just in front of the back four in matches against the other top sides in the league when playing away just as Keown was deployed by George Graham all those years ago. I cannot believe for one minute that we would have done any worse at Anfield or Stamford Bridge !
With the speed of players falling away from the squad, the players must walk around on the training ground and feel “Who’s next?!”
This is the last straw im afraid. I felt we could deal effectively-ish with injuries in other areas but once the Mert/Kos relationship breaks I reckon we have no chance. That’s just how I feel, I hope Mert/verm have other ideas!
Did I mention this injuries are getting ridic!
Funny no one seems to know of ask about Ramsey. When the hell is he back? He hasn’t played since Boxing Day.
What’s to ask? At this point I just assume that once a player gets injured they are done for the season.
V for Victory