Arsenal’s defensive problems took another turn today with the news that Nacho Monreal has not made the trip to Germany for the Champions League tie with Borussia Dortmund.
At this point it’s not exactly clear what the issue is with the Spaniard, although he missed training today along, it seems, with Calum Chambers.
However, the young Englishman has travelled while Kieran Gibbs will take over from Monreal at left-back.
Short on defenders in the first place, Arsenal look set to be without Mathieu Debuchy for around three months with an ankle injury sustained against Man City on Saturday.
Arsene Wenger has been forced to delve into his youth system to provide cover with Hector Bellerin and Isaac Hayden both involved in this morning’s pre-flight training session.
Fuckin’ shit balls
Get ready Arseblog, u overdue to make ur Arsenal debut.
Arsene is probably planning to solve this defensive problem by signing another 5 attacking midfielders and playing them all out of position… and not in defence either.
Don’t worry, wenger the genius will play Ozil at right back.
At least it won’t be on the left where he is completely lost & shot of confidence
This is madness.
Madness you say? THIS IS ARSENAL!
I thought this was Sparta.
Spartak Moscow?
Haha, I was hoping someone would do that. Well played.
It’s mismanagement and negligence.
It doesn’t even feel right to say “we told you so, Arsene” because it was clear as day for all to see that we were short defensively.
It always seems that we’re one step away from a title winning team…
My feelings exactly.
Plus I think as fans, we should have a blanket ban on any news regarding our defence. all that is left for us do in this regard is complain. Every time i begin to feel something good is happening the ugly ‘little’ head called our defensive frailties props its head.
Short defensively, not short at full back though, so THIS is not the problem.
We can say ‘told you so’ when one of our CBs gets a long term injury, until then we’re just stuck at the ‘oh shit, it could go so wrong’ point.
I think you forgot that two of our full backs are the cover for our two central backs.
Bad Planning AGAIN.
THIS is what the people “excusing” Wengers negligence seem to forget…..I’m just happy I’m not the only one that can see that.
What the fuck?! Ramsey and Ox will be our fullbacks by January at this rate!
Three months now for Debuchy?
As long as him and Gibbs keep up their tag-team style, one is fit/one is injured, pattern then it’s no biggie.
It does seem like a blessing that all our defensive injuries are keeping away from the area of weakness in our team, for how long though?
I think the main problem is that these full back injuries are taking away any cover we have at center back. With Chambers playing right back for 3 months, that’s our one center half cover gone (although I’d like to see Bellerin get a run at right back and Chambers kept in case the worst happens). Wenger seemed to think Monreal was viable at center half, and now he’s out too. Get your boots ready Isaac.
I agree. Would love to see Bellerin get a run at some of the smaller clubs in the league. It would feel a little more comfortable to say we have 7 defenders, rather than all this talk about 6.
Nobody saw this coming..oh wait..
If it gets too bad we could always have Bouldy lace them up again……
May finally be time to get the Coq out?
He’s more of an attacking midfielder these days. Plays in the hole.
No, he’s still defensive. He was just played out of position on loan at Freiburg. They played him on the wing most of the time which just isn’t his position and he unsurprisingly failed to make an impact.
You don’t get it, do you.
Yes, but I do think occasionally he could pop up in the hole.
His shooting is well off though. Have you seen those videos of him shooting and hitting other people in the face? It’s probably on the internet. Just type it into google.
You missed the joke, Mr Chef. To be fair BigDave, you may have undercooked it and so he ignored it.
No to be fair Emmanuel Eboue, he did have a point. Actually maybe we both do. He’s a real grafter and can constantly go back and forth. Draws the foul well too, often gets pulled back.
What about the 4(?) seasons he was completely underwhelming & not up to Arsenal standard when he wasn’t loaned out? Stop with the Coquelin nonsense, it’s just as ridiculous as people naming Diaby as DM cover.
This is what happens, we get desperate and every player starts to look better than they actually are.
Fuck off, fuck off, fuck off!! This is getting ridiculous. No offense to Shad, but we should’ve signed a fucking wizard to get rid of this injury curse. Is Gandalf still available for a transfer?
Even the great mithrandir cannot help in such hard times, my friend. We must do with what we have, for all who see such times wish that it had not come to this.
The cunt Gandalf is the one who told Ozil he shall not pass.
Or maybe, just maybe we could have signed ENOUGH DEFENDERS……..wow, the sensible option!!!!!!
I want a fucking wizard!
should and I hope not there be an injury in CB – we are going to throw Isaac Hayden into the deep-end. It’s not fair to these younger players to be used as a emergency plan and then be judged in-front of the entire fan-base. If they make one mistake gooners are un-forgiving. We really don’t give them a chance to slowly integrate and prove themselves (emirates atmosphere is still poisoned. sorry, but I’m just being honest). although this is a RB/LB injury concern – why haven’t we signed a CB that is versatile? AW loves these utility players. Time… Read more »
Or, you could say, you know, what an opportunity for a young player to step up and really show everybody what he’s all about, cementing his place in the squad. I remember some guy named Chambers doing that a month ago.
Entirely different. Chambers had a full season in an excellent team and proved himself more than nicely, against Arsenal as well. He’s a full-fledged player, albeit young and more prone to mistakes than an experienced defender, but he’s been blooded.
Isaac Hayden is miles behind in terms of preparation, not to mention there is an insane amount of pressure on a young player when you know you’re the last resort.
You’re right that the cases are different, and the circumstances for Isaac would be far from ideal, but Swedegunner’s probably got a point. Sure the exceptional youngsters will eventually find a way through, but the level many players find themselves playing at presumably involves taking opportunities that arrived via chance. It’s easy to get passed by.
If Arsene really feels Hayden is ready then this situation sort of makes sense. Otherwise it’s crazy. I want to believe it sort of makes sense and therefore I want to believe Arsene really feels Hayden is ready. Of course, he hasn’t said much to support that lately.
Gibbs is so much better than Monreal…….Monreal miles out of position for City’s first goal. Looking on the bright side….three of our back four are first team picks. Arteta back for the awful Flamini and we’ll be fine.
It’s tough when you get less cover, and the ball gets lost further up the pitch, you’re then gonna be caught out somewhere. If Flamini was doing his job he’d have helped out and covered well enough to (hopefully) make things a little harder for Aguero at least.
Tactics dictate where the player is on the pitch – if you looked at the opposite Side – Debuchy was just as high-up the pitch, it could have happened on the other end to. There was only flamini/kos/bfg defending. if AW wants the full-backs to bomb forward, we need to figure out a way to plug the gaps in behind should we lose the ball high-up the pitch. happened twice – once BFG cleared the ball and second Aguero pounced. we are way too open for the counter attach – FFS Leicster did it to us. this is a tactical… Read more »
A mobile DM covers those positions left by marauding fullbacks majority of the time……but nobody wants to hear that
Gibbs might have been out of position too, though he would have busted his lungs (and probably his hamstrings) to get back
Just double-checked my calendar hoping that maybe I had unknowingly slipped into a wormhole and today was actually April 1st. It’s not.
Wenger will be the backup left-back
he should be back up cb with those headers
Gibbs is fit enough to start right? He’s been back in training for a few days now.
He was fit enough for the bench against Schitty, so I would think he’ll be ready to start tomorrow.
I’ve run out of different languages to swear in… Is it caca that’s Spanish for SHIT?
No. It’s Brazilian.
It’s mierda.
It’s John Terry
Amazing how quickly the doomsday scenario plays out. But no need to panic just yet. We can all remember Flamini slotting in very effectively at left back during the 2006 Champions League run and as someone else has pointed out, we’ve still got our Coq to pull out
Yeah. I was thinking of Flams as an option if (when) Gibbs goes down again. The Chambers issue (potential issue?) is what’s more worrying to me…
Arsene knows he has the shittiest luck in the world yet he gambles on compulsively. I don’t know anyone more stubborn.
Apparently, he’s a great poker player though (or so he claims).
I like Hector Bellerin. I think he played well in the Emirates cup and to keep chambers fit for any possible CB injury I think Hector deserves a shot. #COYG
I really can’t believe this keeps happening. I’m beginning to suspect there’s a vitamin deficiency in the food we’re giving the players. As a young lad my parents were very poor and we could rarely afford meat. Sometimes, if we were lucky, we’d get a bit of liver or some of the toughest beef you ever did see, and it left me with a brittleness that often resulted in me getting an injury. To give you an example, one day we were scrumping for apples at a nearby orchard and I was 100 feet up a large tree when I… Read more »
Right ramble there, Pete.
Welcome back!
I think Pete’s comment just won the internet for today
I love rambling Pete
Pete – Blogs’ alter ego?
Pete, you are the wind beneath my wings.
Thank you
God damn it.
I just don’t understand why we have let ourselves be so obviously short in defence. Here is a link to a previous Arseblog news article (dated 1st August) where AW discusses the chances of TV5 leaving: http://news.arseblog.com/2014/08/boss-reaffirms-vermaelen-departure-possibility/ From this new report, this is the quote from AW that I would like to highlight: “At the moment Thomas Vermaelen is here. He is injured at the moment with a short-term injury. It (a move) could happen, yes it’s a possibility that he goes. If he goes we have to replace him because he’s an important player in our squad.” Don’t get… Read more »
But look at what he said. He said ‘We have to replace him’, not ‘We have to make a signing’.
He’ll say that Chambers is the replacement for Vermaelen, which he is essentially.
I think it’s mad that we didn’t make a signing, but Wenger never specifically said we would.
Maybe he was going to sign another defender, but once he saw how good Chambers was, he changed his mind.
the free transfers are still ok for a few days arnt they? or has that expired too, was sure free transfers were separate to the normal window
Mad, but not insane. Insane would be bringing in a crap journeyman defender like we’ve done in the past who would have papered over the cracks until we actually had to use him. I can’t say just how much indelible pain those days left on me: seeing the likes of Squillaci trot out in an Arsenal shirt. So, now we use Chambers or Bellerin or Hayden if we have to. At least they’re getting proper match experience under their belts. As for renting clothing or kicking the cat in frustration? The summer transfer window’s been stone-cold-dead-shut for a while now… Read more »
Jenks is supposed to start today for WH. We’ll see I guess.
I once heard an HR “”professional”” say that he would never hire an unemployed person.
I think this policy is double true for a football club.
Arsene to secretary “”Phone Mikel Silvestre and ask if he is available for a few months part time work””
UP The Arsenal
Not a valid excuse, as you rightly stated at the end
Watch the thrilling new drama of Arsenal’s 2014-15 season unravel as the club enters the new season with just five senior defensive players. Feel the emotion and despair of injuries. Experience the true anxiety of big matches with makeshift replacements and youth players. Directed by three time Premier League champion Arsene Wenger and produced by Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov comes the critically acclaimed masterpiece:
The Inevitable
Coming soon.
I don’t think you can blame Usmaninov to be fair. He has no say on these matters
Hahaha. You can either laugh or cry. I’ll do both.
I think an issue people are missing is that we we had decent cover in the fullback positions at the start of the season. The legitimate call for a centre back doesn’t really have anything to do with debuchy and Montreal breaking at the same time. No one was saying we were short 2 full backs. So the “I told you so” stuff is bollocks.
I agree it is bollocks but there are some people out there who will latch on to any opportunity to post insulting comments about Arsene Wenger as they have had the “Truth” revealed to them. I have no issue with anyone expressing the opinion that we may be weak in some areas as I am sure that Wenger and Gazidis are aware of the areas where the squad may be improved. I do become irritated by moronic abusive, and essentially worthless, comments fired at Wenger, Gazidis or any player. If I was able to read German I would be tempted… Read more »
Except that our CB cover is now playing RB for the next 3 months.
Do you what? I am actually tired of this and I was wondering Andrew, is there a way of actually speaking to Arsene or getting across the fans views to him? Two things :1)why is he playing ozil out of position? He seems to play players out of position. Feels like he’s sacrificing ozil for wilshere which I think is unfair. You think ozil is one of our best players so why waste him on the wings. 2)why didn’t he sign a cb??? Andrew this isn’t even a case of regular moaning, I genuinely will like to know if what… Read more »
I can answer the first one for you, there are probably a few factors in play. Firstly, the team is still in a bit of flux and with so many players who can interchange, I think giving Ozil a nominal stareting oposition on the left gives him license to find the gaps and have (hopefully) our DM cover for him whilst we build relationships. Secondly, he isn’t in brilliant form and maybe not match fit so while it seems counterintuitive to play him in a position with more running, there is less responsibility cause everything isn’t going through him so… Read more »
Noticed some typos. Sorry, I am typing from my phone and it’s a pain lol. Thanks. Play players in their best positions. Fill up the gaps and give yourself the best chance of winning something and competing rather than always taking a gamble and hoping it works seems like a better plan to me
Get Steve bould into the squad!
What’s life all about: it’s about odds. It’s about giving yourself the best possible chance to win. You can gamble in Vegas on Roulette, but you’re likely to lose money. You may win, but most likely you won’t. For a man of Arsene Wenger’s intelligence, how he fails to see the obvious is – amazing. Yes we could go the whole season injury free and win a title, but the odds are against it. The odds are against zero injuries to full backs and center backs. You’ve got to play the odds – you’ve got to give yourself the best… Read more »
Gibbs will be injured again soon. Correct me if i’m wrong but he hasn’t played more than 4 consecutive first team games before getting injured. His average is 3 games then injury. Monreal is not good enough. He pushes too far forward and leaves huge gaps at the back. To top it off we sold Miguel. Arteta and Flamini are to slow to track back to cover. Chambers has showed his quality at CB and RB. If Merts or Klos gets injured we are in deep deep do do. It wouldn’t surprise me if Wenger plays Szczesny as a CB.… Read more »
Don’t worry, we’ll just score more than we concede, 2-3-5 is the new 4-3-3
Last time we had a proper defensive crisis we got the the champions league final. Flamini at left back ftw
I wish i could use healing spell level 5 like in clash of clans.huh!
Pfft, who needs defenders or strikers anyway? 0-10-0 sounds like the perfect formation to me.
Arsene, that can only be you!!!!!
!WANTED!
Experienced, top 50 in the world, defender wanted.
MUST BE capable of playing in multiple positions, fast, strong and a good header.
WE OFFER in best case scenario virtually no playing time, poor pay and the most negative and demanding fans in PL.
Enquire within.
Yobo on a free anyone?
Chambers should not be risked. I fancy the pace of Bellerin. Chambers is too slow to deal with Dortmund’s pace.
Age should not come into it because they are both 19.
LB was where we had most cover in our back line. And now we’re going bollocks because we have to use our cover? Yes, it leaves our CB cover as shallow as Redknapp’s analysis. But as said above, don’t panic at the potential disaster when it’s no more potential than yesterday.
Besides, could just be the flu right? Right? (Wistful)
We need to find that witch doctor! Faaak sakes mr Wenger sort it out:(
I remember the last time Flamini played LB, we had 10 clean sheets in a row in the CL. Ca$hley Cole came back in for the 2006 final and we lost the game…
Arsenal’s back line, please get well soon! Kos looks like he needs a rest as well – that might come next May, haha.
Flamini isn’t quite what he used to be.
so what! gibbs or monreal or flamini left side. debuchy or bellerin or chambers right side. HOW MANY FULLBACKS DO YOU LOT WANT
The same amount that we have….except sensible supporters don’t want out fullback cover to also be our CB cover bc THIS is what happens when you gamble with an injury prone team. Why is that so hard to understand for you non-football playing lot?
i notice a positive post has been blocked so people cannot give it the thumbs up. fucking disgrace of a blog
No Mr Owner. Certain words are in the black list and can’t be published until the moderator has a look in. Happened to me a couple of times.
*descends into hysterical laughter until brought to senses with a slap to the face*
In fairness to Wenger this is kind of crazy the rash of injuries we are facing. I would rather have Bellerin or Hayden get some experience than have some greek CB stewing on our bench for the entire season.
Is Nastastic really that much better than Hayden? OR Kostas Manolas?
Manure knew they had defensive weaknesses, and yet with the knowledge that they had only the Premier League to fight for, they moved with certainty, and fixed what was needed to be fixed. We have all competitions, against more lethal teams as compared to last year, but nothing done to strengthen our left side… which incidentally is where we look most vulnerable! Debuchy’s injury just made us more vulnerable. Lord knows we need help! In truth, the best strategy now is to outscore against our opponents. Reduce the tiki-taka… and get more shots on that goal. We have pace up-front,… Read more »
Someone call Sol Campbell, tell him to report for training first thing tomorrow!
Yackety smackety blah blah blah. There’s always something to moan about thank Christ. Up the gunners I’m looking forward to seeing Hector. He’s looked good in the few under 21 games I’ve seen him in
One of the more promising stories of the season so far is monreal. Looks like he’s really out to prove a point this year. Took his opportunity well so far and hope him a speedy recovery
Both Hayden and Bellerin have been doing well for the reserves. Let’s hope they are up to scratch. Long time ago we were wondering where the new signings are going to come and Wenger just pulled a Wilshire and a Coquelin out of his hat.
Hope those 2 will turn out just as well.
Bellerin is the bee’s knees. Plenty of pace and very creative going forward. Whips in his crosses with intent as oppose to the blind manner of Jenkinson. Only issues would be his defensive experience at the moment. he looks a bit more mature this pre season watching the back but it isn’t enitrely ideal of course to plunge a young player into the deep end with a CL game. if Chambers is fit, I’d expect he will get the nod. OTOH you never know when some young players just dive into the deep end, they take to it like a… Read more »