Arsene Wenger has provided the latest team news update ahead of tomorrow’s Premier League clash with Watford.
“Basically we have the same squad available as last week,” he said.
“We need a first win after our game at Leicester and of course the international break comes too soon. We have players going away with their national teams who aren’t ready to play for us because they have been away with their national teams!
“There are still some who are little bit behind.”
The boss was also quizzed about the comments of Wales boss Chris Coleman who questioned why Aaron Ramsey was used on the opening day of the season when Mesut Ozil, Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud were left on the bench.
The Welsh international picked up a hamstring injury and will miss Wales’ games during the Interlull, but the Arsenal manager said Ramey’s preparation was sufficient for him to play in the first game.
“Because he didn’t play the final, or semi-final, or quarter-final, so he was out two weeks before Giroud and Ozil, and he did all the preparation,” he said.
“That’s the only reason.”
Wenger admitted he had still to make a decision over the involvement of Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil, both of whom he considers a little short of full fitness, but both are expected to be in the squad tomorrow.
Honestly, the coach of Wales over-acts. He talks as if Ramsey will never ever!! my god!! this is tragedy!! play again for Wales! There is one friendly and one official game and basta, not the end of the world! Ramsey is not dead!
Your punctuation methods are novel?
He got booked playing in the Quarters! C’mon Arsene, admit you fucked up starting him that game. Santi had a solid preseason but he was on the bench !?
Wenger said Santi would not be fully fit in the leadup to the match.
Sounds like a reasonable explanation to me.
He did play in the QF. MOTM wasn’t he?
Coleman who …. ?
Colonel Mustard
I don’t think AW gives a toot what Coleman thinks; Ramsey is an Arsenal player, his contract is with us, his wages are paid by us and if he is fit, he plays for us. I doubt whether Coleman would open his trap and apologise to Arsenal were Ramsey to be crocked on international duty, like so many of his colleagues regularly are (see Wilshere 2015, 2014 et al)
I knew that.
Give me Coleman’s job.
Coleman was out of order but to be fair Wenger made an even more outlandish claim when Coleman included Ramsey in an important Wales qualifier and he got injured..
This is clearly payback.
The whole point of that incident was that it WASN’T an important qualifier. Wales had already qualified for the Euros by that time, and it was a dead rubber game as far as they were concerned.
Facts check!
Ramsey is very injury prone, so the odds of him getting injured during a game are always going to be 50/50. He’s a risk even if he would’ve had the entire summer off.
Really don’t like these international breaks, tend to screw us with injuries.
I think Ramsey did play in the quarters didn’t he ?
Banned?
banned for the semi for a handball in the quarter (in which he played extremely well)
How can Ramsey have been done two weeks earlier than Ozil – he played in the quarters and was still in France with the squad for the semis, he wold have left France the same time as the Germans
Seems like Arsene is so defensive these days, and always overstating his point
When he left france isn’t important.
Although when he played his last game there is.
Coleman is the one overstating the point. We pay Ramsey’s wages and if the physios and manager and player think he’s ready, Coleman can stick those words where he pleases. If they can’t beat Moldova without Aaron they’ve no business risking his fitness.
I’d suggest there are plenty of other reasonable criticisms of Wenger.
He played in the quarters but was banned in the semis.
Alexis played in the copa final and then played for Arsenal already. Some people are injury prone. If Coleman himself is asked to pick 5 Arsenal players who “will get”(not likely) injured in this season, will he not include Ramsey in that list.
That final was June 26. Ramsey’s last match was July 1.
That said by performance evidence Alexis obviously is not fit yet, and I wonder about that ankle.
Wish we had had the resources (Boss said Santi wasn’t fully fit) to not play either of them, but a lot of criticism has been flying around about how ‘everybody else is playing all their players’ blah blah.
But just look at Alexis and Ramsey and you see why we haven’t with the others.
I’m sick of this f…ing useless international breaks. Actually not useless, good for breaking our players
I sure hope Özil and Giroud are involved. With all this transfer madness we forget that we have an important match this weekend.
Coleman is an egotistical mouthy horrible twat. Wants to mind his own damn business he plays for us and his national team come second.flip side he’d moan if he never got playing time. So do one
‘“Because he didn’t play the final, or semi-final, or quarter-final, so he was out two weeks before Giroud and Ozil, and he did all the preparation,” he said.’
A little bit the disingenuous.
‘Ramsey is an Arsenal player, his contract is with us, his wages are paid by us and if he is fit, he plays for us. I doubt whether Coleman would open his trap and apologise to Arsenal were Ramsey to be crocked on international duty’
^ exactly this though
Coleman wouldn’t give a shit if it was Joe Allen.
Is this the same Coleman that does whatever Real Madrid says, no questions asked, when it comes to Gareth Bale?