Arsene Wenger has confirmed that both Francis Coquelin and Tomas Rosicky are fit to face Burnley in Saturday’s FA Cup 4th round clash at the Emirates.
Coquelin hasn’t played since 21 November when he limped off at West Bromwich Albion with medial knee ligament damage while Rosicky hasn’t played at all this season after undergoing knee surgery in the summer.
Speaking to Arsenal.com, Wenger’s latest squad fitness update also included news on other long-term absentees; Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Danny Welbeck.
“Francis is available to play now because he has passed two weeks of full training. Tomas is also available for selection.
“Danny Welbeck is not completely ready but he is not far. He needs a game or two because he’s been out since last April. The Stoke [under-21] game [on 30 January] is too soon because he only had one session with the team, and that is too short.
“Mertesacker is out because of the red card, and everybody else is available, apart from Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla. After that it is just a question of selection and decision-making, that is the key.
“Jack and Santi are progressing well but they are at least a few weeks away. But these two apart, it is just about competitiveness and match fitness.”
Great news.
Funny, we’ve almost got too many players now!
how is Wilshere still weeks away? dang.
I’m sure he Wilshere that information in time…
I’ll show myself out.
No you can stay
You, my good Sir have won the internet for today
bravo sir
TMNS
(Too many new signings..)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Soccerstars…
I don’t think we should thrust our Coq right away for 90 minutes. Exhausting and could lead to re-injury and tissue damage. Hope the Coq can be eased in to plug in the holes in midfield we’ve seen in recent games.
He’s an immense player for us. Immense Coq!
Something tells me Texas Gooner is a physical therapist or a very concerned and conservative gooner.
I agree, we should slip le coq slowly into the game with at least 20-30mins of game time ?.
?
Not trying to jinx anything but I thought the same at the start of the season and it didn’t take long for the injuries to come. We have a hard battle ahead of us in the spring and we are still I’m all major competitions. With these guys coming back I cannot help but think that we can be both consistent and competitive against the other top sides.
If the majority of the squad stays fit till the of the season we have a good chance
*end
Who else didn’t notice the word ‘end’ missing from the comment?
The return of Coquelin and Rosicky is fantastic news!
I have a question regarding Mertesacker’s red card, only because I’m still not quite sure how this all works…
Does this weekend’s FA Cup match count towards his ban?
Thanks.
I think it’s a 1-match ban for Per.
And yes, FA Cup games count towards the ban (since it’s a domestic tournament too).
Excellent, thanks!
Isn’t it a 3 game ban because it was a straight red?
http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/suspensions
FA says it’s only a 1-match ban.
I think a straight red causes a 3-match ban only if it’s for dangerous play. Per’s was a professional foul.
Coupled with the fact that Per didn’t really touch C*sta
It was a violent conduct, so it’s just a 1 match ban
Wasn’t*
Your correction is correct. It was serious foul play, not violent conduct.
I so wish it had been violent conduct! Even with Mourinho gone I hate Chelsea all the same largely due to that vortex of disgusting evil Diego Costa.
I believe it was neither violent conduct nor serious foul play but Denying an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity (or DOGSO as they call it in the officiating world). Not that it really was, but I think that was the call.
Only if the red card was for dangerous play
I believe it’s just one game since it wasn’t violent conduct. Rather it was 3 to be honest so Gabriel can show everyone what he’s capable of. Genuinely think for the football we play (a high line is inevitable) therefore we probably wouldn’t have been beaten by the likes of West Ham, Brom, Soton…
Honestly I am with you on this. Leading up to the red card Per was awful, at one point he passed the ball to one of chelsea players in the box when trying to clear it. As much as I like the BFG he has been the one liability in our defence a few times this season ( Yes he does have some great moments, but these small lapses are costing us ) I think it is time to give Gabriel a good run to see what he can do, It might also give Per a kick up the backside… Read more »
yes
Who let the Coq out? Who, who who who! For those that dont know, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BE3cESzXOqo
I was happier when I had forgotten that was a thing that had ever happened.
Please leave that in years beginning with “19”.
Oh how lovely it would be to see TR7 on the pitch.
He could be a huge boost of morale. And then of course he needs to gain some match sharpness in order to produce another screamer at WHL.
Great news! Our thrusting Coq is back and out goes Flammy Flamster. Flamini who started as a terrier, but ended up as a not cute poodle. Sniffing around the opponent, but not actually doing anything.
Le Coq and Aaron next to eachother. One ultimate DM and one box-to-box. Could not be happier!
Would love for rosicky to bring us home the treble. That man deserves everything.
COYG!
A very improved medical team,good news!!
Excellent news! It’s a shame you only get to make three substitutions, as I’d really want to see both of them plus Alexis subbed on early in the second half on Saturday. Or maybe we can play one half with Elneny-Rosicky and one half with Coquelin-Elneny in midfield? But that’s probably taking it too far in treating the game like a friendly, as Burnley seem to be a decent side in good form.
We need to see Elneny play now. Eleny should start games and Coquelin should replace him at Wenger’s substitution time (75 th) until Coquelin regains full match fitness.
Don’t normally predict line ups n all that but the idea of a midfield trio of the Coq sitting,Elneny box to box and Rosicky number 10 looks rather nice on paper/screen
the charge is back on!!!
IF everyone was healthy (I know, don’t laugh), what would be our ideal starting 11?
I think it would be very similar to last year’s lineup:
Cech
Bellerin Mert Kos Montreal
Coq Santi
Ramsey Ozil Sanchez
Giroud
And just imagine the selection headache picking the subs!
Keeper: Ospina,
Defenders: Chambers, Gabriel, Gibbs
Midfielders: Wilshere, Rosicky, Arteta, Elneny, OX, Flamini
Fowards: Welbeck, Walcott, Campbell
*Monreal
haha, must have been autocorrect or the Canadian in me 🙂
Something like that. Though, much as I love him, I’d be tempted to have Campbell over Rambo just now. Other tight call would be Mert for Gabriel. The BFG sadly may be in decline and Gabriel seems to have what it takes given a run in the team.
That’s the team that beat Bayern 2-0, isn’t it?
Yes, I think that that is by far our most balanced eleven.
Eventually I would like to see the OX for Ramsey, once he starts to play to his potential.
Almost: Walcott started against Bayern rather than Giroud. I think both our striker and right wing provide interesting dilemmas in terms of our best eleven. I’d say the best individual performances in those positions have been from Giroud and Campbell, but as a team we’ve looked best with Walcott and Ramsey. One might even make the argument that based on that our best players for those positions are Welbeck and Ox, as they’re sort of in between the other options in terms of their attributes, but right now Giroud’s good form and Ox’s poor form would make that a hard… Read more »
What’s the long-term game plan for Ramsey? I would presume it was for him to play centrally, but who does he displace? I imagine Wilshere being the heir to Santi’s Santi-sized throne, and Coq’s still young, so is Ramsey going to be on the right? But if he’s on the right, where does the Ox go, or Campbell, or our other up-and-comers? You can say that we need depth so it doesn’t matter if Ramsey doesn’t really have a spot in the starting 11, but he’s too good of a player to be a sub, regardless of your opinion of… Read more »
I’ve been wondering about the Ramsey conundrum for a while now myself. But it hurts my head so I don’t want to do it too much.
Ozil’s sewn up the #10, and rightly so, so that makes for 2 available central spots. He’s not particularly disciplined at sitting back or controlling tempo, so it hinges on his ability to work with Coquelin and vice versa. Otherwise he’s on the bench waiting for Ozil to take a rest.
It does make one wonder what the squad intent is with Elneny.
Elneney probably originally a summer target but brought to the club now in case One or more of Wilshere,Cazorla or Coq break down again. Elneney probably identified to replace Arteta or Flamini in the summer. Think the same thing happened a few seasons ago with Monreal. I think Gibbs was injured and Monreal’s transfer was brought forward.
True, true. It looks like when they’re all healthy (ha!) in the near term however (including Santi, that is), he and Ramsey may be in the same boat. Er, on the same bench. On the same wing?
And when Coquelin is given a rest we’ll have to see how Elneny holds down the defensive discipline.
Surely you meant Forwards: flamini, Walcott, Campbell, welbeck…? .
I think your list highlights our weak point: who plays FB on the right when Bellerin needs a rest. Debuchy would be great if he could rub his rustyness off his legs, but will he stay? I don’t see Chambers there on the long term. (on a side note, I think that the comments I read here on Debuchy are a bit harsh: he was good last season before being hurt twice (!), he is in a very uncomfortable position, the Club is ruthless with him (and rightly so, of course) so he is right to express his desire to… Read more »
Is this the best news after Jose’s being sacked (Lets all take a moment to laugh at that)?
Actually wish he hadn’t been sacked as they would have dropped many more points if he stayed.
Agree, but we can still laugh…
It’s very difficult to put his nickname in a sentence without wincing to myself so I am going to refrain, but my word have we really missed this boy (The Coq). As much as I like Flam and his passion he just doesn’t have the legs for it anymore.
What’s Ray Wilkins doing on Arseblog?
Rosickyyy ?? finally he’s back 😀 One of the most underrated and unlucky players at Arsenal. He really deserves to finish his career with a PL trophy
I’m not sure he is underrated if this website is anything to go by
Ospina Debuchy Gibbs Gabriel Chambers Le Coq Elneny Oxlaide Ramsey Sanchez Walcott THe reason Ox Ramsey and walcott are in the team is they’ve been poor recently and a home tie against a championship team like burnley who try to play football is a great game for them. Ramsey taking ozils place so if he loses the ball again it will be higher up the plus he wont need to be as defensively minded Sanchez plays to get him more minutes. I would’ve play Iowbi but sanchez takes preference I feel this team would defiently win while given a rest… Read more »
RosiCoq!
Could see them work as good together as coq and santi. Rosicky is probably closest to Santi in the way he plays and understands the game. I would first see if coq and Rambo works and if not I’d give Tomas a run of games in this position. Good to have them back!
That’s what I hope for too. When Santi left, he took that midfield assurance with him..! Rosicky can restore that..!
And so it begins! LE COQ! STRAIGHT TO THE TITLE! I love Francis so much, so much more confident with him available.
Coq returning is truly great news. We’ve missed him more than anyone else recently.
I think TR7 deserves a testimonial more than Theo. Arguable, but i love Rosicky! Hope we can win the league for him.. and us.
YES! Much as I have defended Flamini and feel that he has been severely underestimated in contribution and capability, we simply need Coquelin back. Together with Alexis , its much added firepower we need to have for the final push now. Also Rosicky can come in useful at this stage. We need to start winning again in the league. But we also need to beat Burnley so some rotation and easing back into the game for Coquelin will be crucial. Team has flatlined a bit in recent games and we need the added strength and energy both ALexis and Coq… Read more »
Coquelin isn’t so much added firepower as he is added stopping power
With injuries clearing up, it is time to go on our annual 7 to 9 match winning run. The difference this year is that it will most likely take us to the title rather than merely cement CL status.
Can’t believe Rosicky’s name wasnt mentioned during the starting XI prediction in the last podcast….
FRANCIS IS BACK ! ALL HAIL THE FRANCIS ! So happy i’m gonna cry (no joke!)!
Rosicky is amazing!!!!
COQ = LANS
I love Tom….that face he made and that face I made when he made it 3-2 that faithful day in February 2012 I’ll never forget.
Legend
Le Coq to the rescue and not a second too soon. His absence has only confirmed that much like; Ozil, Sanchez, Cech and Kos he is absolutely integral too us.
Oh and by the way, what a spine we have now. Sanchez, Ozil, Coq, Kos and Cech, quality in every area of the pitch.
Yep but for me I’ve been most impressed this term by Bellerin and Monreal – I wouldn’t trade them for anyone (unless Messi wants to play in defence for Arsenal of course)
My 1st 11 pick would be
Cech
Bellerin Gabriel kosn Monreal
Coq carzolla/Elneny
Campbell Ozil Alexis
Giroud
Finally THE COQ HAS COME BACK…… HOME
Let’s hope Le Prof goes easy on his Coq, at least at first.
What’s the point of having a Coq if you can’t use it?
Coq straight in, no foreplay
Welcome back Rozza, cant wait to see him on the pitch on Saturday, COYG
COQ ROS to the occasion!
That sums it all up
That’s great. When will Elneny be fit ?
He’s a few weeks away
Better late than never! Looking good
Once a Coq forever a Coq!
Bent but not broken.
up the arse.
#COYG
Anyone else worried about the Pato signing?
He was the original YouTube star wen he arrived at Milan. His videos were legendary.
I’m really hoping he’s burnt out having it all so young ala Fabregas and Rooney.
As far as I know, he caught Brazilian lazy party syndrome. I’m not too worried about him.
I think we need to consider this match also as preperation for the upcoming Soton clash (Revenge game 2, we failed the first one against Chelski) We need those points No harm starting Coquelin to get him back into the swing of things. Maybe Ramsey and Ozil ahead. Rosicky can come in for Ozil later when we have done the business, Elneny for Rambo or Coquelin. Out wide, there is a case to start Alexis too ahead of Theo at least till the half. We need the original first team selection to get back into sync quickly. Alternatively we can… Read more »
Le Coq’s STFUs and full adrenaline celebrations are something we all missed!
Can’t wait to see an almost entirely fit squad pushing us up the table.
Exciting times!
Perfect timing. Use the FA Cup to get Coquelin fit.
This is fantastic news. However, I’d rather see both of them come on about 60 minutes against Burnley than see them start. Ease them back in. The last thing we need is to try to do too much too fast with them, and see them get crocked again just when we need them the most.
I wonder if Arsene will ease his Coq in from the start or let his Coq loose during the game.
Not related to this but do you guys know that De Bruyne had recently challenged Ozil in the assists race. Good for him, he’s out for 2+ months else he would’ve eaten his words.
Would be nice to see both play some (maybe not start Coquelin, but bring him on for Elneny late if he tires) on Saturday along with Elneny. It’s a balancing act though for Wenger, needs to get match time for those three, but also needs to be able to field a strong team that will be able to take care of business and there is a risk of too many changes being made. I would suspect Sanchez may start as he needs match time as well and could see Giroud in there too since he went out so early last… Read more »
I’m really glad that finally coq is back now when we can expect santi, jack & danny??????
Miss them big time
Cech
Flamini
Chambers
Gabriel
Monreal
Elneny
Arteta
Oxlade-Chamberlain
Rosicky
Iwobi
Giroud
Subs- Macey, “Jeff”, Koscielny, Sanchez, Walcott, Ramsey, Coquelin
Really good news.
There was a time this season where i thought we weren’t going to to see rosicky at all. Imagine if him and diaby never had any injury problems.
Put the Coq well in . . . it makes the boys feel better
I think after this season Wilshere will succeed Santi in the deep-lying playmaker role alongside Coquelin. He is amazing for England in the deep role and will slot in perfectly with Le Coq. Sanchez is a definite as he is world class and can bang them in from anywhere. Ozil has been our best player and has the no.10 role for as long as he wants it. Now, the right side is the position most up for grabs. Ramsey, The Ox, Welbeck, Walcott and Campbell…. I would play Campbell all day long. His work rate is phenomenal, he puts his… Read more »
Not sure if Campbell > Welbeck
All these Coq double entendres are really fucking dreary.