Arsenal have confirmed that Thomas Partey will miss tomorrow’s clash with Wolves as he continues his recovery from the thigh injury picked up against Leicester.
The Ghana international has now been sidelined for over a month; a worrying development given we’ve a lot of football on the horizon.
Mohamed Elneny and Willian will be available tomorrow. The Egyptian has been cleared following a positive Covid-19 diagnosis – Sead Kolasinac is not so lucky – while the calf issue that forced the Brazilian off against Leeds has seemingly cleared up.
Bukayo Saka is also back in full training following his dead leg but the club’s medical team are still deciding whether it’s worth risking him.
In positive news, Pablo Mari and Gabriel Martinelli are close to full fitness. The Spaniard played 45 minutes for the under-23s the other night and the Brazilian is resuming full training.
Really disheartening as fans to not see Partey for this long. The injury seemed innocuous enough so a real blow for him to miss so much football.
And god do we need Saka. Although we can’t risk a bigger injury, he appears to be the only player in this squad who can play between the channels of midfield and attack.
Partey picked the injury against Villa. Not Leicester
But one month as stated in the article? I am not sure of that.
The Arsenal effect
Partey’s injury history (by transfermarkt):
19/20 Hamstring Injury 5 days -1 missed match
15/16 Hamstring Injury 24 days -5 missed match
There’s an Emirates curse, we just have to live with it. Maybe we could sell it as a haunted house experience in the offseason.
Yeah, no ghosts or spirits. Just take a walk around the stadium and do in your hamstring.
I think the curse may be at London Colney – just look at Arsenal Women’s injury list.
A guided tour to a doctor’s note. Wonderful marketing
Once heard expert say “colder climate may account for more hamstrings , definitely colder in England that Spain” and Ghana , as players adapt to the weather
Is Chambers available to play for us?
He played the whole match for the u23s last night, so I’m not sure he’ll be playing again on Sunday,
Wouldn’t start even if he was available.. Not Arsenal level player. Another one that needs to go.
Wrong
I think that Chambers still deserves a chance. He seems to have some versatility as well
For fuck sake!
Its not a whole month since I saw Partey play…cant be.
Anyway…..Martinelli, really looking forward to him being back! Him and Auba rotating the left wing/striker positions. Good stuff ahead!
if he plays. I don’t remember Arteta playing him much when he was fit. So, we don’t know yet if he actually fits the system.
This is the goal threat that we have been waiting for.
Auba martinelli and Pepe
His heading and body strength will come in useful. He will probably have to reduce the insane amount of sprints he did last season though. Will probably see him confined to the left channel and penalty box, and occupying centre backs to allow Auba to isolate opposition fullbacks
Yes, I think it might be a long road to the team for Martinelli. He’s disadvantaged he’s hardly had the chance to work with Arteta in comparison to Nketiah and even Balogun, so is gonna be in a real scrap for game time. I really hope he gets used! His all round game is streets ahead of Eddie imo.
Whatever the line up we need a good result. With City winning well earlier (what’s it like to actually score five goals in a PL game… memories, eh) we’re now the lowest placed of the so-called “Big Teams” in the PL. We have to start scoring pdq… clean sheets, although welcome given our overall defensive form this season, can’t win us games in itself.
What are we looking like then?
Leno
Holding Gabriel Tierney
Bellerin Xhaka Ceballos Saka
Nelson Laca Auba
Not sure I like it, just what I think Arteta will do…
I Think Willian will start. Maybe he will have a blinder.
Agreed. But most likely he won’t unless you mean he’ll be largely unsighted
Things can only get better for him. Apart from that first game against fulham he has been awful. The bar is so low now for him.
I don’t think we have much choice at the moment. Nelson had about the full 90 last match so likely not. Willian needs to operate slightly infield with Bellerin and Ceballos in close support. But essentially when we turn over the ball or carry it, we need the team to commit as a unit going forward, not wait for the ball to be played to them or too static in position. For this to happen, a bit of familiarityis necessary which comes with playing as much a settled side as possible given rotation. In this sense, the lack of choices… Read more »
Lacazette should bench, start Aubameyang up top.
Leno
Bell Gabriel Holding Tierney
Xhaka Elneny
Nelson Ceballos Saka
Aubameyang
Arteta probably will go more defensive though…. Sigh.
Ha. Indeed?
With no functioning midfield, Auba up top is about as useful as tits on a bull. And he was isolated when we last tried that.
MA has a lot of issues to deal with in this unbalanced squad, but the man is no fool.
Elneny for Ceballos, for sure.
I’d prefer ceballos and elneny together. Xhaka is more and more the has been of our midfield.
AMN for Saka so he can cover Traore. Elneny for Ceballos. Maybe Saka on LW and Auba up the middle so Laca can take a seat assuming Saka is healthy enough.
Great news…..Willians fit.
…………….Auba…………………..Willian……………….. …………………………..Laca………………………………… Tierney……….Granit………..Ceballos………..Bellerin ………………………….Elneny……………………………….. ……………..Maghalaes……..Holding……………………. ………………………….Leno………………………………….. which is essentially : ……..Auba…………….Laca………………..Willian……….. ……………Granit……………….Ceballos…………………… Tieney………………..Elneny………………………Bellerin …………….Maghalaes…………Holding…………………. ………………………….Leno………………………………… and also : ……………………………Laca………………………………… ……Auba………………Ceballos………………Willian……. ……………Granit……………………….Elneny…………….. Tierney…….Maghalaes………Holding……………Bellerin …………………………….Leno………………………………… 1) Strangle the wolves midfield 2) High Press 3)Leave Elneny as almost a third Cback/control of centre circle 4)Granit left side to drop and provide ball for Auba to run in on or Tierney from left wing cross. 5) Laca to move up and down the vertical playing either Auba or Willian plus add presence against their deep midfield (Luiz may be preferred to Holding if fit) + Granit can also drop next to Elneny leaving Ceballos… Read more »
Lets get the 3 points. will not be good if we don’t….understatement naturally.
Martinelli <3
Great news on Marinelli, looks like Auba will be able to isolate players 1v1 again soon, as Martinelli will be closely marked at centre forward
Really looking forward to martinelli on the right
Arsenal have a squad of 200 players. We put a different team in each competition and still have 10 people injured and 4 people not included in squad and 40 coming on television saying they need more playing time
Partey will be back in 2022 then…..
Hope Eddie gets no where near the team today everytime I watch him he brings nothing to the team. Im just so confused as to why there’s all this hype around him!
He has an unbelievable goal record at youth level. It’s fair to say he’s transitioning to senior level atm. It’s clear he should have been let out on loan but then it would have left us short in that position.
Saying that he should have scored the other evening
Can’t wait for Martinelli to be back. Would love to see a front 3 of Saka Auba Gabi.
The most Arsenal thing in the world. Sign a largely injury free player who’s going to make all the difference for us. He plays about 2 games for us and then gets injured for an interminable amount of time during a key run of fixtures. All the while our rivals are enjoying the fruits of their new recruits on a weekly basis. It’s all rather boring. We are going to see xhaka, lacazette and co on the pitch again tonight and I just don’t think they have the minerals to push us to a win against anyone at the moment.… Read more »
Midfield options are so uninspiring, Elneni looks our most dynamic option, lolz and to top it off we’ll probably have to endure another Willian masterclass.
Hopefully Willock and Nelson get the nod, I’d rather watch the Hale end boys.
I’m so bored of it all. Either our medical team are incompetent or Colney is built on an Indian burial ground. I can’t remember the last time we could all enjoy a run of games where we could pick our best players together. It just happens season after season and we never get a break.
Sead is bosnian not Brazilian
Thank heaven Wolves are not as strong as last term. That said, they are still a good side and could give us real beating, especially w/o partey. I’m optimistic though.
I’m a bit worried about playing spurs. They in a run of form and Arsenal could end up getting tonked.
Honest question here, as I don’t clearly remember. Guendouzi. He as, in my recollection, not as poor as many make him out to be. Everyone turned on him when he acted like a class-A D-bag (and I’ve not problem with that, btw). But, could he not dribble, dropped off to cover well for one so young, and he could pass the ball. Which collectively is more than what Xhaka and Ceballos can do. Not saying the kid was amazing, but the middle of the park wasn’t always so empty like it seems now. Or am I instead suffering from holiday-boozer… Read more »