Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Mikel Arteta and Olivier Giroud will be available for selection against Manchester United this weekend and revealed that Laurent Koscielny and Mathieu Debuchy are three weeks from joining first team training.
Speaking ahead of the visit of Louis van Gaal’s side, the boss said he was pleased to have new options in attacking areas having relied on the goals of Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez since the close of the transfer window.
“Giroud and Arteta are both available. It’s just a question of how ready they are. But they are available.
“Giroud is three or four weeks ahead of schedule. Originally we planned to have him back for competition at the beginning of next year. So he’s one month ahead.
Yes [we relied on Welbeck], and on Sanchez as well. But we have Giroud back, we have Walcott back. Slowly they will integrate into the team again and give us different options.”
The boss also touched on the fitness of Gallic defensive duo Koscielny (chronianklytendinitis) and Debuchy (banjaxyankleitis) hinting they could be available towards the end of the year.
“Koscielny and Debuchy are doing well, they are out on the field [working] again. We have to see now. Usually field work is three weeks away from full group training.
“Then there is fitness. It looks straightforward for Debuchy. It’s not inflammation, it’s just repairing surgery. For Koscielny, it depends how well he responds to training. At the moment he looks good.”
He added of Mesut Ozil (bobblykneeligamentis), ” he is doing well but he will not be ready before the start of 2015.”
There was no mention of Abou.
When I read this at the BBC website in their Sportsday section, I was like that mad announcer at the Stade de France.
OLIVIEEEEEEEEEEEER….
GIROUDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!
I’m not a big fan of giroud but one thing i do like about him is his ability to not get injured or recover as quick as a shark who lost a tooth, i wish every one of our player would be like him in that respect and i kinda miss his physical battle with those defenders who try to bully us, welcome back olivier.G!
We hav’nt lost a home league game for 23 matches?? How did we keep that up? Now i’m very confident we won’t lose to man utd at the weekend because really i hate man utd!
Not lose? Why is just not losing a home game to ManU good enough? This isn’t the ManU of the Fergie era either. I won’t be satisfied with anything less than a win. How many years has it been us drawing them at home and losing the away game? I want that bad taste out of my mouth this weekend and if the boys show up for the full 90 plus injury time, we are good enough to deserve the win, especially at home.
An arsenal win in a game run by mike dean is unlikely.
Sure, Mike Dean is a Smeaglish cunt, but we really can’t say the refs have been at the heart of our poor displays this season. We have made enough mistakes to lose games by worse scores even if the ref had been slightly in our favor. Some of those mistakes have been so ridiculous even our opponents were so surprised that they forgot to score. If we can channel a bit of that jenaissaisquoi defense we had that first 3rd of last season and put in quick and tidy ball play against ManU’s stopgap 11 we could win 4-0 (I… Read more »
We have won 3 and drawn 2 in his last 5- fact
The refs have had a major effect on our results and the quality of our displays. The first foul/not-a-foul sets the general tone of play (Matic runs straight through the back of jack without being penalised = open day on kicking arsenal players) then there’s the first game deciding event (Cahill staying on the pitch after trying to break alexis ankle = halftime JT telling his teammates to pick a weapon [machete or axe usually] but only use it in a real emergency as they may get a red). Most games both these calls have gone against us which gets… Read more »
I think you mean ‘the mad announcer at le Parc des Princes”!
Ever wondered why AW gets the length of injury periods wrong.
“We were expecting him back in the New Year,he is 3-4 weeks ahead of schedule.”
By my reckoning this week is approx 6 weeks ahead of schedule.AW works on a different calendar.
Anyway great to see players suddenly being available and Kos and Debuchy
not so far off.
In Shad We Trust!
Arteta is a key in midfield for us. We have started conceding cheap goals ever since he got subbed in Anderlact game.
i wonder those who say he is useless will feel, for me that guy is great for our team
He usually does what needs to be done. He gets dribbled past a lot but he’ll bring the guy down if he has to. We don’t have anyone else in the squad like that. Flamini goes to ground way too early and Ramsey/Wilshere are more likely to be 10 yards ahead of the ball when it gets lost and trot back as we get scored against than be there where they need to be to make a defensive intervention. Arteta isn’t a great defensive player and never will be – he is especially prone to being dribbled past by a… Read more »
No mention of Welbeck either. This is the info in desperate for.
Really, really REALLY want him to get one over them lot. So they know the pain we’ve endured.
If he didnt mention him, that should be good news, right?
Hogdson said he’d be fine
“There was no mention of Abou.”
At this stage I’d just like to know what he had for lunch, just so we know he’s still with us.
Yay! The Frenish Wonderduo are back!
Does anyone even ask about Abou anymore? What’s the point? The only way that boy is going to play a good run of football is if the Arsenal rebuild him, if they have the technology, if they have the capability to make the world’s first bionic man. Abou Diaby would be that man. Better than he was before. Better. Stronger. Faster.
They tried that with Eboue after he was pushed into a volcano by Ewan McGregor. He’s more machine now than man, twisted and evil, and was recently banned by FIFA for six months for blowing up a planet. It’d be kinder just to leave poor Abou be.
My friends call me Abou. You call me RoboDiaby.
This is arsenal, we’ll probably put the wrong parts in, probably the parts for a left winger and put him as DM.
Some great attacking options, but we really need Kos and Debuchy back ASAP.
Does everyone think the lineup will look like this? Am I missing anyone?
Szcz
Chambers – Mert – Monreal – Gibbs
Arteta/Ramsey – Wilshere
Ox – Sanchez – Cazorla
Welbeck
I use to think in something like that:
Szcz
Chambers, Mert, Gibbs;
Ramsey, Arteta, Wilshere;
OX/Theo Alexis, Cazorla;
Welbeck.
3-5-2
Well, I am sure we’ll never play the 3-5-2 in EPL. Ask LVG and you’ll know it cant work in England. Tried, tested and failed formation. Am more of
Szczęsny,
Chambers, Per, Monreal, Gibbs
Arteta, Wilshere
Ox, Alexix, Carzola;
Welbeck
Subs:
Martinez;
Bellerin;
Ramsey, Walcott, Rosicky,
Podolski, Giroud
In case anything happens to a defender, we are doomed on Saturday…
You want to start playing Jack and Aaron as wing backs? Go home you’re drunk!
theo
On recent form I wouldn’t have Santi in the team. I probably wouldn’t have Ramsey in it either but his work rate covering in midfield would be a help.
SZCZ
Monreal – Chambers – Mert – GIbbs
Arteta – Jack
Ox – Ramsey – Alexis
Welbeck
Monreal at right back? Really? Why not Podolski?
I think we’ll see Walcott start. I would LIKE to have Bellerin at RB and Chambers at CB, but it probably won’t happen. This is what I think we’ll see:
Szczesny
Chambers, Mertesacker, Monreal, Gibbs
Arteta, Wilshere
Walcott, Cazorla, Sanchez
Welbeck
Let’s hope we can get a result. As long as he starts with Arteta and Ramsey in the middle of the park. Hopefully theo can get 30 mins towards the end. Desperate for a win over Utd #COYG
You never see Abou Diaby and the Gunnersaurus in the same room do you? Hmmm
Koscielny…. out for another month? With the intense schedule coming up? oh fuck help us…
Good that we got two players back from injury, but sadly that Central Defender position remains a massive issue.
Giroud can fill it.
I actually find it rather shocking that no one points this out – Giroud is of massive importance defensively. When he and Per are around (and Sagna before he decided to collect a hefty paycheck for sitting), we would have a lot more solidity on set plays, corners especially.
Welbeck is fantastic offensively and works very hard but he does not have the defensive influence that Giroud brings to the table.
I would not at all be surprised if we started conceding less and less as Giroud gets re-integrated into the first team.
It’s not really set pieces that are our problem, it’s more headers from open play. If you look at the stats our set pieces are solid enough. Not great, but solid enough. When we get beat in the air it’s usually from a cross from open play not from a corner or a free kick.
I like Welbeck but Giroud brings the best out of our midfield midgets.
Great to have Giroud back, more options up front are needed, be interesting to see if Welbz spends time on the bench or gets pushed out wide? We could play them both up top, Giroud being more of a target and Danny running off him..Sanchez as Number 10 on behind
Diaby is now a ghost.
Well at least he can defend corners….
As much as we need a new CDM and as much as buying a striker was necessary in the summer, these are two players I really feel are under-appreciated. Arteta makes our midfield so much more reliable, and Giroud (for all his finishing issues) is actually astonishingly good, technically. Neither of them necessarily makes the starting XI this season, but both of them could be vital in the coming months. Good to have them back.
Surely with this news, Podolski is cursing right now that he’s 9th in the pecking order for the position of “substitute that may or may not come on at the 80th minute to score a comeback consolation goal after having gone down from a 1-0 lead”
Poor pod must look at welbeck and think fuck this im off.
Finally,
Lets beat United.
No pressure to buy any defensive cover then if we’re back to our full compliment of 2 centre halves for January.
Hoping that we’re completely healed by February and firing from all cylinders. #COYG
This is good news. Any news about a player returning from injury at this point is very VERY good news. My prediction for the game against man u: Arsenal 3:1 Man u
Alexis will score 2 and Welbeck will score the third. As for Man united’s goal, I’m just being nice.
3-5-2 perhaps… gibbs, per, chambers (df)– arteta, jack, ramsay (cm), ox, theo (wide), danny, alexis (cf)
Due to the fact that we have so few defenders and so many midfielders a 3.5.2 formation makes perfect sense in theory.
The only problem with actually playing it with the players we have is that we would lose every game !
Things are generally looking up. Let’s hope and pray the treatment room is not a revolving door – we won’t have others go the other way. If we are over our injury curse, this team is solid and will be better with addition(s) in January.
SZCZ
Monreal – Chambers – Mert – GIbbs
Arteta – Jack
Ox – Giroud – Alexis
Welbeck
That’ll work better with Welbeck on the left and Alexis behind Giroud. Also, I suspect we’ll see Walcott rather than the Ox, although I’ve got no problem with the Ox’s being there as he’s been very good lately.
Hope we have a good rest of year
Szczesny
Bellerin, Bfg, Chambo, Gibbs
Jack, Monreal/ Arteta (if fit)
Mozart,
Sanchez, Ox
Welbeck
Subs: Martinez, Hayden, Ramsey, Cazorla, Theo, Girroud and Poldolski
Compliments to BR for another delayed journey home.
Based on recent games, Di Maria has lined up on the their left and I’m sure that’s not going to change considering how well Montero did last time around. Hopefully we have learned our lesson to have the winger cover our young rb since he’ll now be against a world class player. That’s probably going to be our most difficult battle with what we probably be Ox/Chambers vs Di Maria/Shaw. On the other side, Gibbs should be able to contain Januzaj and make him think about tracking back too. If Monreal’s at cb (and he will be), I’m really worried… Read more »
Oh God I’m doing it… I’m becoming the armchair manager!
As everyone is giving lineups
Szcs
Bellerin Mert Chambers Gibbs
Arteta Jack
Walcott Alexis Podolski
Welbeck
Would love to see that line up mate, but no way in hell it’s gonna happen 🙁
I would put Monreal on right back he’s more experienced full back.
Only care about when kos and debuchy will be back. The sooner those 2 are back, the better.
WE NEED THEM
Schez,
Chambers mert Wenger Gibbs
I hope that our lads smash Utd so bad that some of them decide to quit football.
We will definetly not smash any opponent with the naive tactics of our(s), never works against top teams and it is all there for Wenger to realise that a change is needed in terms of tactics and gameplay. Luckily enough the United defense is extremly un-organized, but nonetheless we will have to expect our team to concede a few given that our defensive efforts are absolutely shit and we are short on defenders (It is weird because not even bottom of the table get in these types of issues.). The naivity of Arsene Wengers philosophy definetly needs tweaking against the… Read more »
*yawn*stretches
Be good to have oly back for sure. That extra dimension up front will help.
Any news on dat guy welbz anyone know?
We need a big performance on saturday all over the park but especially at the back. COYG spank the mancs!