Arsene Wenger has revealed positive news on the injury front confirming that both Per Mertesacker and Gabriel will be available for this Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final with Watford.
The Gunners lost both defenders during Wednesday’s 4-0 replay win over Hull City ending the game with Calum Chambers and Nacho Monreal at centre-back. The latter was also said to have picked up a calf problem, although there’s no mention of it being an issue for the weekend.
Speaking to Arsenal Player, Wenger revealed: “We had a few injuries at Hull – Gabriel, Mertesacker and Ramsey.
“Mertesacker and Gabriel are very positive, there is nothing wrong there, they are both good.”
Yesterday reports emerged that Aaron Ramsey could be ruled out for up to six weeks with a thigh strain. While not giving a clear indication of the timescale the Welshman faces on the sidelines, the boss did say: “There is a small alert, we don’t know how bad it is.”
Laurent Koscielny, who has missed the last two games, is also on the mend, although Sunday’s game with the Hornets could come too soon.
“He is not far, he will have tests until Sunday, but it could come too soon. He has a little chance.”
Long-term absentees, Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla, remain out fo contention for at least two more weeks.
Just three or four weeks now for Jack!
AAAnd the season is gone. (for him)
Just in time to get injured playing for England over the summer.
Big game, let’s get this 3rd FA Cup won and make some more history!! COYG!!!!!!
Phew.
????
Scared us for a minute there
Next week is a key week for us. Watford on Sunday and Everton on Saturday*. We need to win both games to get our momentum back. My worry is the scheduling – Sunday – Wednesday night – early kick-off on saturday is simply diabolic but we just have to do it. Good to hear that both defenders are fine. I don’t think Ramsey will out for up to six weeks judging from the manager’s tone. The journos may just have fallen back on history rather than proper knowledge of this particular one. All the best to the boys. * I… Read more »
At this stage of the season, considering our injury situation, position in the epl, the first leg score and the teams left in the CL, the CL is the least of my worries. If for any reason we pull off the mother-of-all-shocks at the Camp Nou, I still feel the CL is beyond us this season. Not so the next if we show good ambition during the transfer season.
If we qualify against Barca, I don’t see how the CL would be beyond us? Surely it would mean the exact opposite?
we should put 100% in every game, only way to develop a winning mentality.
I agree with you on all points, although if I understood correctly, wishing for a draw or narrow win at Camp Nou would necessitate us “breaking heads” over it and putting in a big shift with the best team. So it seems to me that you might be contradicting yourself there
I agree. The ‘breaking of heads’ was actually us fans and not the players; just that I don’t want a repeat of the Bayern hiding. It could further damage our very fragile confidence
We are on the mend?
#prayforrambo
Thank God! Was scared for a second that no one prayed for him. Thankfully, prayers work so well. He will be back in no time now.
Didn’t we almost have a completely fit squad like 3 days ago? Sheesh!
Brilliant news on Per and Gab. They should be playing on Sunday. The look on Ramsey’s face when he went to grounds suggests it could be serious. A 4-6 week layoff. Fingers crossed it’s short term. There was no mention of Kosci. I hope he gets fit soon as we got some big games coming up.
Apart from the mention of Kos, see above.
I just hope Wenger plays the strongest possible team against Watford. There’s absolutely no point in resting players for the Barcelona game: that tie’s dead. A win against the Hornets and a favourable semi-final draw will put us into or third consecutive FA Cup final – and a chance to make history.
History? Not with this manager though surely, he should have gone seasons ago and will never do anything good again.
Or am I missing something?
Are you for real we’re current cup holders and although we haven’t won the PL in a long time we’re the only club with a gold trophy from it how’s that for history?
So when we win the FA Cup for a third time and become the first team to do so, I hope you won’t be celebrating the win and our place in history. I mean, that would go against your stance…
You haven’t ever read Fatgooner’s previous posts? That’s what I was referring to.
And there is a clue in my user name.
Mark:
I support ARSENAL AND NOT ARSENE.
While winning the FA Cup for three years in a row would be great, it does not satisfy the expectations of a club the size of ours. That’s why I would still want ARSENE to go.
OK?
I’m impressed that you can divorce the manager of the greatest period of Arsenal success from that success.
http://untold-arsenal.com/archives/51069 gives a good perspective on this. We are only a club this size, with accompanying expectations, due to the achievements of the Wenger era. And if he becomes the first manger in recent years to win the trophy 3 times in a row and 7 times in total, how can anyone separate his achievement from the club’s?
Irony Alert!
Apologies Arsene-al fan, I read and ‘down-thumbed’ your comment without first realising who it was addressed to.
The Fat mans hoping to create history, who’d a thought it.
Np, not many picking that up I’m afraid!
That’s Fatgooner’s job to say that mate!?
I don’t often agree with you but credit where it’s due. Between clinging to an unachievable CL or salvaging our PL and FA Cup aspirations the latter is the one to go for. Give the young sprogs a run against Barcelona and rest Ozil, Sanchez etc.
While we don’t want to get wasted by Barcelona we must field a ”second string” team there to rest the top guys for the Everton game? The CL is beyond us and who really gives a flying fuck when the EPL is possibly at stake … c’mon Aston Villa and Newcastle by the way
Jack & Santi could still have a huge impact on our season. Completely different options to what we have available
I very much doubt it. Long term absentees usually pick up a strain or two within their 1st couple of appearances and that will be the end of the season.
Blogs, in relation to your today’s post, I am one of those “morons” who tried to see the silver lining in Ramsey being out for some time. Silver lining being that this might give much more playing time to Campbell who is really one of the relevations of this season, if not the biggest one, on the level of Coq last season. If he would be given more time which he did deserve he might flourish even more, start scoring more regularly etc. For this and some other well known things I am irritated by Wenger, pushing ahead Ox and… Read more »
I wasn’t referring to people who could see this as a way of trying other things. I was talking about the people who were actually taking great delight in his injury, some who expressed their wish that his legs would be broken again or that he would die. That’s the kind of moron I’m referring to. If they take offence to being called that, I seriously don’t care, and I’d rather not have those kind of people visit the site. On the wider point, I still don’t see any injury to any player as a blessing in disguise. We can’t… Read more »
Its kind of a defence mechanism of sorts. Oh Ramsey is injured. But he wasnt playing well anyways. Maybe a good chance for Joel. Ahh good.. I feel better now. Thats the way some people cope with our injuries.
For some, but there was a terrible amount of vitriol too 🙁
i hope both Jack & Santi both get a run out in under 21’s first, fitness is one thing match fitness and stamina building is another, there trickery is needed to open up teams, i just hope Rambo is short term and dont go down the replase/setback/operation. which has been the norm this year, i think he will rest Ozil again for sunday and not risk kos, AW will def not have given up the game away to barca, it always seems he would rather put more into CL than cups and league, but its about balance we dont always… Read more »
I hope he doesn’t rest Ozil on Sunday. Ozil was rested on Tuesday, as was Sanchez. I hope he plays our strongest possible XI on Sunday.
A 4-6 week window for Elneny to play and more playing time for Campbell on the right. I bet if given a chance, Iwobi could do a job at CM.
We need everyone fit for the remainder of the season. So its good news from Wenger.
Now first up Watford, we absolutely have to win at home. No excuses. Barcelona can wait. We will not win the tie to be honest. So plan for it accordingly. Everton is also a must win game. They are dodgy at home. Hence nothing to fear. Go there and smash them. Anything other than 3 points will put us in the 4th place dogfight.
COYG! Lets go for it. Make us proud.
Small alert? 3 weeks then?
Strongest line ups are needed for all next weeks games, don’t want to be spanked at Barcelona and ya never know what early goal could do.I was at Swansea game and yes I booed , the performance deserved it that doest mean I can’t cheer when the performance deserves that too @ mark Hughes and presumably it’s not the Stoke manager you are surly not a gooner so your point is taken with a small pinch of salt
Seriously hoping Ramsey’s injury is short term. I’m a fan. Yes he can be selfish at times and too often makes the incorrect pass selection – trying something elaborate when the simple option would prove to be more effective. However he never hides, even when he’s not on-point, has an eye for goal and a box to box dynamism. And that goal against the scum was textbook Ramsey.
Gutted about Rambo being out, we really don’t need that, but I’m looking forward to seeing more Elneny & Coq in the middle. I’d like to think that their work rate & discipline (forgetting that red card) will give us a big boost defensively as well as freeing up our forwards a bit. As the (gael) cliche goes, every game now is a ‘cup final’ & I for one would take hard fought 1-0 wins all the way in from here.
Hopefully we’ll see a few more shots from Elneny like that one against Hull too.
Hope Chambers gets a chance to start as CB against Watford, he has deserved it with good performances lately. Let the more experienced guys play against barca and then see who gets to start at everton.
Will be interesting to see if Wenger goes with Welbeck, Ozil and Sanchez vs Watford or continues to rest them for Barcelona and then Everton. Watford will have the advantage of not having to rest players for other competitions, but we have a deep enough squad Wenger should be able to rotate some for all the upcoming matches. Just hope he doesn’t put everything into the Barcelona match hoping we can come back. It’s certainly possible, but realistically he needs to focus on FA Cup and the league at this point in the season.
Hey blogs and rest of you. My first comment in here but daily reader. Is it only me or do you also connect the team meeting before the game with the injuries that occoured in the game? No not the injuries in it self.. I’m suspecting that one of the potential topics discussed in that team meeting was players that hide thier small niggles and play the game rather than taking the needed rest to come back to 100 %. By doing that risking your team to lose the game as youre not able to go in with 100 %… Read more »
Huh?
Nope. They want to win the FA cup. There’s no way they would sub out for no reason.
Mert had a concussion and his eye was swelling to where he couldn’t see clearly. He was visibly a little out of sorts when he left the pitch. Gabriel and Ramsey, dunno. But if they’re being smarter and not playing in a weakened condition when someone more fit can do a better job, that’s a good thing.
These players need to man up Nobby someone or other won the FA cup playing with a broken neck. Hamstring my arse.
Per and Gabriel have formed a very decent partnership in recent games IMO. There are still some communication and positioning issues but they seem fairly complementary. As mentioned, many like to go on about a Koscielny-Gabriel partnership but to me, either of those players are better suited to pairing with Per simply because its a more predictable partnership. Per’s pace means he is more likely to function as a stopper where either Gabriel or Koscielny will sweep ahead. With a Koscielny-Gabriel partnership, this is a harder thing to develop as both players are mobile and communication issues could make things… Read more »
BFG suffered a head injury and as a consequence possible concussion. He came off as a precautionary.
Blessing in disguise is today’s theme I reckon. last season, injuries to Debuchy and Chambers was a blessing in disguise as we got Bellerin. There is the raft of injuries that decimated our midfield and we got Coquelin as the disguised blessing. calling an injury to Ramsey a blessing in disguise is a no brainer. the lad has being playing poorly. this is clearly a blessing for the team and any player willing to seize the moment.