Per Mertesacker is in contention for a place against Crystal Palace on the opening day of the season.
Despite the fact that the Gunners German contingent don’t return from their post-World Cup holidays until August 11th, the BFG is a possible starter against Tony Pulis’ side. Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski won’t, apparently, be thrust into action as early as Mertesacker.
With Thomas Vermaelen still struggling with a hamstring injury that he took into the Brazil tournament, Laurent Koscielny, as of now, is the club’s only available first choice centre-half. Mertesacker’s availability is good news, but Arsene Wenger is still in the market for a central defender so that may negate the need to bring him back so soon.
Vermaelen is back from his break but won’t play any part in the Emirates Cup this weekend. However, there is a chance that Alexis Sanchez could make his Arsenal debut with a Sunday cameo when Arsenal face Monaco.
The manager should have more information to provide at his 2pm press conference today.
What a great picture.
guess you probably haven’t seen poldi eagle photo yesterday. a classic one. should do it on the emirates turf and let it go viral. I think it will ruin the little dreamer’s one.
Well? Don’t leave us hanging, share the link!
so sorry gunners. don’t really know what happened to my brain. must have suffered that palace flu fever. any way here it is
https://m.facebook.com/LukasPodolski/photos/a.689898931021426.1073741832.119757088035616/947868498557800/?type=1&source=46&refid=17
Rushed back. Picks up injury. Textbook.
Let’s hope not anyway
Except Per played only half the semi finals and 1 minute of the final, wasn’t injured beforehand, and is the sort of pro who will have been anticipating he would be needed and has probably been keeping fit enough to jump straight back in if asked.
No worries we have Shad Forsythe….
Not really. Due to his experience, I doubt he’s been filling up on pies and lounging on the sofa. Also, he didn’t play as much during the WC as other players (Ozil for instance) and so probably needed less time at the start of his holiday to rest.
Am pretty sure Per played both Emirates Cup matches last year.. he’s hard as a rock!
He’s a big F’ckin German!!!! Love the Per-fect gooner, what a badman!!!
Np, chambers can play cb
The picture looks like he’s taking the piss outta Sturridge 😉
I’m going to think of this now every time I see that stoopid fucking dance.
Thank you!
Pulis’s Palace. Sounds like some kind of terrible disease. Probably caught from a dirty toilet seat.
Sounds more like a shitty kiddies theme park, the kind you see A4 home printed, monochrome posters for at M25 junctions. I bet the have loads of baseball caps in the gift shop.
Ha! “Pulis’s Palace (proprieter: Mr R Harris) – your one-stop fun town full of happiness. Just outside Croydon” Marouanne Chamakh would greet families as they arrive, in his clown shoes, with a make-up tear rolling down his cheek. Pulis would take the money at the gate, before telling people complaining about broken seats and closed-down rides to bugger off. The ghost train would feature Winifred Zaha and Terry Venables talking up “the team of the 80s”.
I don’t think he’d tell them to bugger off, he’d tell them to “man up” and that “his rides aren’t like that”.
“my son has just had his leg torn off by your “Shawcross of Iron” ride”
“Man up, you soft southern twat. It’s not that kind of ride”
yes, you’re right
Themed treatment center for the constipated?
Well we all know what tactics palace will. Bring to the fixture. Pukis can only get his players to kick everything cept the ball.
You obviously haven’t folliowed Palace under Pulis at all. I don’t like him but the football is entirely different from his Stoke days.
Agreed. Pulis (and it actually causes a cramp in my stomach to say this) produced some good football with Palace. I guess it comes down to the material you have to work with. Stoke is full of cunts, cromagnons, neanderthals, and Shawcrosses, and Palace have a couple of decent players.
Very happy with the summer so far. But it’s really worrying that Bfg might have to start against palace. Hummels please?
eh… wasn’t he in the same world cup boat as mertesacker?
Worse, he was broken by the end of the final
Not that he would be available for the first game either sigh. Definitely can’t start chambers at centre half.
its Crystal Palace… under pulis so we just need mert to stand there and head the long balls back
exactly! we need BFG for Palace!
Looks like Koscielny & Chambers in the middle for the Comm shield then…
Will be interesting to see just how good Chambers is, he obviously has Wenger’s trust given our CB search doesn’t seem too urgent
I have to say I like the little I have seen of Chambers. He seems very confident on the ball and quite tricksy, especially for a defender. He’s quick, can get himself out of tight spaces and seems to deal with pressure quite well. The only concern would be how much pressure he could deal with at such a young age. I’m still hoping he’ll convert to centre back so Jenkinson can play on the right when he comes back from Wet Ham. If he did end up at centre back I think he would be quite similar to Koscielny… Read more »
Nastasic would be an unbelievable signing to complement Mertesacker and the Boss
Didn’t we already know this? I thought we already knew this. Unless I dreamt it, and forgot that I dreamt it, in which case the good news is I may be prophetic and the bad news … my memory’s fucked.
What is the source of this apparent “news”, that Mertesacker could face Palace?
I spoke to somebody at Arsenal today and that’s what they told me.
I think it’s BBQ Magneto, just waiting for confirmation from Blogs 😉
To be fair he didnt play much in the latter part of the tournament, he’s got to play if TV cant make it.
Is it official that Sanchez will only play in Sundays game and not on Saturday?
Not ‘official’ but that’s what I was told. Sunday cameo the most likely, although I’m sure he’ll be there on Saturday to be shown off.
Predicted starting XI for Palace game:
——Szczesny——
Deb Per Kos Gib
—Arteta Ramsey—
Alexis Cazorla the OX
——–Giroud—–
With a slight chance of Alexis, Wilshere, Cazorla behind Giroud. If not now, then later in the season for sure.
As in I’d prefer Merts built match fitness back up at a decent rate so he’d stay fit for the rest of the season.
Are we calling Debuchy “deb” now? How about “Debbie”?
Don’t forget , ever , that we’ve got a
BIG FUCKING GERMAN….
I would love to see vermaleen stay at arsenal,I’m sure he will get back to his very best.