Fears over Aaron Ramsey’s hamstring injury mean that Arsene Wenger has gone safety first by leaving the midfielder out of the Newcastle game tomorrow.
The Gunners face a daunting festive schedule and the Arsenal manager has chosen not to risk the Welshman for the visit of Alain Pardieux’s side in the hope that he’ll be fit for next Sunday’s trip to Liverpool.
Arsenal are also without Mikel Arteta and Jack Wilshere, which means Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will most likely be thrust into a midfield role tomorrow.
There’s also bad news over Laurent Koscielny as it was confirmed he’ll miss the game with a calf strain – rather than the ongoing Achilles issue. That will mean some kind of reshuffle at the back as Calum Chamber is suspended following his red card against Stoke, while Nacho Monreal remains sidelined with a foot problem.
Mathieu Debuchy could be pressed into action as an emergency centre-half as Lamp picked up a thigh strain in training this morning.
Well I don’t see what could possibly go wrong this weekend.
By the way, Koscielny’s injury is the exact example of injury problems worsening due to lack of depth. He came back as soon as he was fit because we had no one else and he’s got a soft tissue injury because his workload increased too quickly.
Injuries like Giroud’s and Debuchy’s from earlier this season are pure bad luck but this sort of thing is completely of our own making.
What’s Theo’s soft tissue injury due to, he was gradually eased back into things after months of rest and gym work? Speculate all you like but don’t act like you know it to be fact.
To be fair, with Theo there was cover for him in his role/s. Kos on the other hand needed to be rushed back due to lack of cover, hence quick injuries again.
We all know that, Hurensohn is pointing out that despite there being cover for Theo and despite him not being rushed back like Kosc was, Theo still got injured.
when Ramsey is in form he will be sidelined always.when he is not he will be pushed to the limit to maintain his old form
didn’t he say he was starting to ‘feel sharp’ a few weeks ago.When he isn’t feeling sharp he’s rubbish so I’d much rather we have the good Ramsey back in a couple of weeks. We need him, but we his best much more. If that makes sense.
Ducks sake!
I’d rather we pick a youth centre back rather than put a right back at CB.
We tried this with the Bellerin/Chambers debate at Stoke. We found that experience in the middle (Nacho in this case, but sub in Debuchy for Newcastle) is preferable to playing youth products in their ‘natural’ positions – they simply aren’t ready.
Lamp is a big miss.
Sanogo at CB.
So three (Chambo, Cazorla, Flamini) fully fit midfielders, two of whom are tired as fuck. One of Alexis, Podolski, Welbeck and Giroud will be on the bench (hoping it’s Alexis tbh). Suddenly we look quite thin.
is Rosicky fit?
if so, I would move Flamini to RB, Debuchy to RCB and Mert to LCB. Ox and Rozza to anchor midfield with Santi-Giroud-Welbeck-Sanchez managing the creative side.
thats enough to beat Newcastle at home.
Why Alexis on the bench….?
Because I have a feeling that the same fate awaits him if he continues to play. We’ll probably be more conservative in this game, because we have no midfielders on the bench. That means that Alexis will get less chances during the first 60 mins. It’s a game we have to win, but if Alexis gets injured then we’re most definitely fucked.
Bellerin, Mertesacker, Debuchy, Gibbs (hope he stays fit now). Or does Ajeyi or O’Connorget thrown into the deep end?
This is beyond ridiculous now. None of our defenders can afford to get sent off…. from hoping for a facile win against Newcastle, we have to hop we don’t lose. Outscoring them is going to be the only way I think. COYG!
Wenger press conference this morning quote
“If everybody is fit then we don’t need to go into the transfer market.”
Don’t hold your breath for any defensive signings next month.
Don’t worry we’ll definitely buy Kim.
“If everybody is fit then we don’t need to go into the transfer market.”
This comment is so bizarre I didn’t believe he had said it until I checked…Football 365 promptly state ‘and therein lies the problem’.
Contrary to what some state, I think all fans (and I mean all fans) want nothing more than for Arsenal to go on a run and for Arsene to redeem himself. But, I swear to god, when Wenger passes these types of comments it simply this club is in a very strange place.
Not really. Since the injury list is as long as my forearm tendon, we will have to buy. Irony from AW, n’est pas?
The man has lost his grip on reality.
That’s a mis-quote. the full quote said something along the lines of ‘yes we’ll need to look for a transfer due to kozzers problems but….’
Apparently Wenger just said – “If everyone is fit we don’t need to go into the transfer market”
Sorry Arsene that’s nonsense on many levels.
Is Hayden Fit? Otherwise slot ajayi or connor to partner BFG!
How bad does it have to go before it gets better? If I am feeling this frustrated, I wonder how the manager feels. The guys just have to go out there and give their all. I hope they get an early goal to calm nerves and get Ncastle to pursue the game so that we can sit back and hurt them on the counter. Everyone has to put in a shift at the back. United took a make shift defence to the emirates and won. Don’t see why we can’t do it. They even lost Shaw in the rirst half… Read more »
Paper thin defence. Reckon it will be a goal fest
I wouldn’t remind a repeat of the 7-3 ‘goal fest’ from two years ago.
Giroud’s faking out off two Newcastle defenders before burying it with his RIGHT foot my favourite goal out of the 7.
Walcott’s hat trick goal was better – jinking past two defenders, fouled in the box by the third, referee with whistle to lips to blow for penalty, then Walcott just picks himself up and slams it into the net. Brilliant!
I think lack of rotation is a massive problem at Arsenal. Some of injuries over the past few seasons are caused by overworking certain players. The problem is once those players are injured their replacements get overworked and injured too. Every season there is a group of players Wenger doesn’t trust, what is the point in having squad members that only increase the workload for the rest?
Podolski, Rosicky, Campbell and co should be playing football, that is what they are paid to do.
Saddle up alexis, looks like you’re gonna be carrying a heavy load this weekend!
And suddenly “If everyone is fit we don’t need to go into the transfer market” is trending number one on Twitter.
#fuckyoustokestationfans #apoplecticwithlaughter #holdthefrontpage #redefineinsanity #wherearemymarbles
bouldie bald head will score the winner against newcastle
You just can’t make this sh*t up, there is something seriously wrong with our training methods, recovery time and tactics. I’ll wait one more season to fully place the blame on Wenger and his staff (I.e if Shad is allowed to implement glaring changes). This has been the story of our season since moving to the new stadium.
Noooo not Lamp!
Shocking. Can’t really work out how Koscielny has got a calf strain considering he’s not played in 10 days or so, what are we doing to him in training!! January can’t come soon enough, I refuse to believe Wenger won’t buy.
The calf strain is a consequence of the Achilles problem
All I want for Christmas is an arsenal team with no injuries…
You’d have better luck asking for a unicorn
i miss Walcott so much, such a unique and important player for us. hope he comes back soon.
I understand Ramsey is now out for a month !! Our injury crisis is now beyond – way beyond – shocking. Clearly training methods are being applied that either exacerbate the injuries or invite new ones. Clearly the whole Club is set up wrong in this crucial area. I am just waiting for Sanchez to catch the bug and collapse. But don’t complain because the infallible leader has managed 1000 games and we haven’t ; so we clearly know nothing and he reins as a living deity. So much for ‘Shad’ Forsyth. But with Wenger’s dead hand on the tiller,… Read more »
….why is it ‘Shad’ Forsyth? Isn’t that his real name?
I’m ready to go in, coach, just give me a chance. I know there’s a lot of riding on it, but it’s all psychological. Just gotta stay in a positive frame of mind.
Well obviously not “everyone is fit”, so hopefully he will buy a defender.
If, somehow, everyone is fit, I don’t think we need to buy in Jan as we have 2 fullbacks on each side plus 3 centre backs?
49 49 in the sick bay,
49 49 I say,
49 49 in the sick bay,
Playing the football the Arsenal way
Of our preferred starting 11 (by most people’s opinion) we’ll be missing Gibbs, Koscielny, Ramsey/Wilshere (pick on), Ozil, Arteta and Walcott. Debuchy has been back one match and we are also going to missing the other of Ramsey/Wilshere, Chambers, Monreal, Rosicky and Ospina. Not to mention Sanchez, Flamini, Mertesacker, Chamberlin and Welbeck are all probably running on fumes. How in the heck did we get into this position?
Allowing that Debuchy is healthy and Flamini could play right back, we have a squad in the treatment room this weekend that could qualify for the Europa league. If fit, of course.
Where the hell is Gnabry?
the last two weeks of december and the first two of january i am travelling a lot. i was worried that i would miss all the matches. now i know that most our team is also going to miss those matches. excellent !