Arsene Wenger has spoken to the press ahead of the Borussia Dortmund game tomorrow and confirmed the news that Nacho Monreal misses out.
He also admitted there was a ‘little problem’ with Calum Chambers but hoped the young Englishman would be recovered in time to play tomorrow.
“Monreal didn’t travel,” said Wenger, “and we have a little problem with Chambers but he should be alright.”
It seems the former Southampton man is suffering from tonsillitis and is rated 50:50 to play.
He also revealed that Yaya Sanogo is suffering from a hamstring problem and didn’t yet have a definite time-frame for Mathieu Debuchy’s absence, saying only that it would be for a longer period.
Hector Bellerin has made the trip to Germany, with Wenger saying, “He is ready to play”.
Needs must, we guess.
More press conference news to follow …
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Quotes via @JamesOlley
This bodes well…
This bodies not well …
What is this? 2011/2012?
Which was kinda like 2010/2011, which was kinda like 2009/2010, etc.
We are down to bare bones at the back.
More like bone marrow!
Sign some free agents
We inch ever closer to the long awaited debut of Gunnersaurus at CB.
Is this where they put Sivestre?
Gunnersaurus > Silvestre
More injuries in our least area of depth. Yet I’m upbeat we will get a good result with our dynamic midfield and forward play. Hope Wenger does something about the defence in January. COYG!
Hopefully Wenger packs the midfield again and we play on the counter now that we have much more speed at the top again.
There’s nothing else to do other than backing our boys tomorrow because whining about our defensive coverage is just something whining sp*rs and chavs cunt fans do.
COYG!!!!!
hmmm this is not ideal
I remember saying during the City game how good it looked on the injury front. We only had Walcott, Gnabry, and Diaby injured. Was a long, long time since we only had 3 players injured. 5 minutes later and Debuchy crocks himself, then Monreal is out, and Chambers and Sanogo are struggling. Same old, same old.
So now we know who to blame.
OMG Being an Arsenal supporter is sooo awesome. You support a football club AND you get a hospital soap thrown for, like, totally FREE!
*thrown in*
Tune in next week when you’ll hear Dr Wenger say “It won’t get better if you pick at it Diaby”
Quick recovery all arsenal fighters
Francis Coqelluin can either play right or left back, why can’t he be utilised!
I’ll say play him in the middle in place of Mathieu ‘Yellow Card’ Flamini
Bc he wasn’t good enough for us the last 4-5 seasons & wasn’t good enough at Freiburg on loan in the Bundesliga last season. Thumb down all you want, there’s nothing negative about it, just the truth if you’ve been following the club. Coquelin wasn’t good enough then & now people want us to rely on him in a makeshift backline? C’mon now
Alternatives are 1) lie down and weep and 2) bring in someone with even less experience.
I was answering the question asked, “why can’t he be utilized?” It’s called a discussion….just bc it’s not an overly positive comment doesn’t mean it’s wrong or whiny. Welcome to the real world, stay a while.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ButtHurt
At the rate we’re going, we will soon found ourselves fielding Flamini at left back, Ramsey at right back, Arteta and Hyden as centre back!!
For f*ck sake, the injury god sure love us deeply…
Or we could have done he sensible thing & had enough cover before the INEVITABLE injury crisis started. But hey, we are the Arsenal…why do it the easy way, right????
And it’s only mid September and already getting stressed over a few niggles!, they must love living on the edge and pushing the boundaries or alternatively they are absolute crap at what they do and can’t see it!, u decide!.
I used to believe the former, unfortunately after this summer I’m now leaning towards the latter.
Its unbelievable that a club with our resources finds itself in this position.
We are now at the point where we cannot afford a single injury or suspension in the next 3 months.
Unacceptable.
I agree. Four usable central defenders and three usable strikers are normal – and affordable – for a CL club. It just takes planning, i.e. Wenger getting out a pencil and paper in May and discussing his first- and second-choice targets with Gazidis and the scouts. Instead he waits to see what surprises come available on the last day of the window; possibly he waits for the advice of the pope – Buy Welbeck, you mean bugger, or ten Hail Mary’s. Wenger doesn’t do planning. Good thing we’ve got plenty of money, then, as I hate to see him coping… Read more »
Of course Wenger plans.
Plan A: Hope nobody gets hurt.
Plan B: Hope Plan A works out.
Plan C: act like everyone else is crazy for telling you Plan A wasn’t enough from the start
How is this being thumbed down? It’s pure facts about our #s (or lack there of) in the back & the bare minimum of what a club of our stature should do to plan for it. Definition of negligence
Too late to cry over split milk. So, it’s often said.
Whilst it’s scary that our players are dropping like flies… again. I don’t think our defensive situation is that much of a tragedy. LB: Gibbs, Monreal, Coquelin (had a great run of games a few seasons ago there) RB: Debuchy, Bellerin, Chambers.
As for DM, we haven’t heard bad news RE: Diaby for a while? If he changed his game from box-to-box to an anchor then we’ll have a skilful Vieira presence there, and perhaps due to less physical exertion he’ll stay fit longer.
I am unable to understand how anyone can count with the 28 year-old Diaby as a defensive player, especially as he has stated many times that he sees himself as an attacker. Even if he produced a full year without injuries he would need the whole year to find his form, and by the time he does he will arrive into the early 30s.
There’s being positive & then there’s being delusional……you’re falling into that delusional category quite easily
Hope to God Wenger doesn’t risk Chambers if he’s carrying a niggle – a niggle worsening into a long-term injury to him doesn’t bear thinking about. I love Bellerin and he is getting better defensively all the time – looked terrific in the under-21s last week – and his pace could be a massive asset. Glad to see he is featured twice in the training pics on arsenal dot com, which is probably a sign that he’ll start. Can’t help wishing for his sake that he wasn’t being thrown in at the deep end, rather than getting a gentle introduction… Read more »
What is Tonsillitis?
At the back of your throat, two masses of tissue called tonsils act as filters, trapping germs that could otherwise enter your airways and cause infection. They also produce antibodies to fight infection. But sometimes the tonsils themselves become infected. Overwhelmed by bacteria or viruses, they swell and become inflamed, a condition known as tonsillitis.
Tonsillitis is common, especially in children. The condition can occur occasionally or recur frequently.
Chambers is a soldier. He’ll come thru!!!!
Chambers has tonsilitiis?
Thanks for the heads-up Dr. Ross 😉
I get tonsillitis a lot and the problem isn’t the swollen glands, it’s he God-awful fever and tremors. You feel weak and disorientated. You also lose a LOT of fluid so dehydration is a serious factor.
If he plays he is a true warrior.
I’m like not a doctor or anything, but at some point if that shit is as terrible as it sounds, it seems like you might want to consider getting them taken out…
Wenger is saying hopefully we will have some good news from the scan… I’m sorry but ‘hopefully’ doesn’t cut it in this game.. He had the money in the summer.. Promises of a replacement for Vermaelen were hollow. God help us in defence.
So maybe Chambers at RB, Gibbs at LB, Arteta for Flamini, and maybe the same team otherwise for tomorrow?
Subs: Ospina, Bellerin, Flamini, Ox, Cazorla, Podolski, Campbell
Not great defensively, but not bad. I’ll see what happens in the run up to Villa before being concerned.
Why is it the players that are playing well get injured and the like of Ozil is always fit to play BADLY.
Djourou? where are you? all is forgiven!
In Hamburg?
…and we’re all minced meat
play bellerin ahead of chambers. he is ready I think. if chamber breaks down, then its deja vu all over again…
: / Better start prepping the junior gunners at this rate…
Fuck it, Podolski at CB if we need him.
He’ll still score a screamer from central defense just to keep his goals/minutes ratio the same
Id love to see bellerin get a run tomorrow..sure impressed me in the comm. shield.
I have faith in Bellerin and I’m excited to see him play for the first team, but I didn’t expect it to be because of so much bad luck striking our already limited defence.
8 million a year and mr Wenger gambles on 6 defenders for the season
A pub team manager would have better planning
Show me a pub team that can boast seven outright defenders and I’ll show you a liar
If you can find a pub team with seven outright defenders can you have a word with Wenger and give him the number to call.
I remember Coquelin deployed at either of the full back positions and not do too badly.
What is this nonsense?
Why doesn’t a journo just ask him straight out. Why didn’t you get what you needed?
After the Debuchy injury he was asked a similar question & had the nerve to answer along the lines of “I suppose you want me to buy another defender now that Debuchy is out. I can’t the window is closed”. His delusional/senior moments are starting to get very worrying.
Because RB isnt an issue. Anyone asking that quetion is going to get short shrift, when the inevitable long term injury to one of our CBs happens, then is the time to ask the question.
The problem isn’t that we don’t have enough right backs… it’s that one of our cover for RB is also our cover for CB. It’s really quite handy until we need backup in both of those places, which could happen quite soon. Plus, the 3rd choice RB has basically no senior game experience…
The injury gods weren’t satisfied with one hfb so they took our mini hfb.
Please we must be calm and remain calmed. No panicking! The Gunners should never be panicked over their lost of Monreal to whatever. They should be confident of beating Dortmound in their backyard. And remain in confidence of doing this job successfully without any iota of doubts in their minds. Gunners you must never take on yourselves again, that attitude of depression when Debuchy got injured. Rather, take the loss of Monreal as a challenge to perform wonders at Dortmound tomorrow night. And to you, Bellerin and Hayden, this is your collective chance to become the victorious cladiators for Arsenal.… Read more »
How can Stan let this happen to his money?
I think it will be a lot quicker if AW just mentions who is healthy. Shorter list.
When arsenal are linked with abdoulaye Faye, there is a clear problem.
This reminds me of a story: A happy rabbit was threading his way along a grassy meadow when suddenly, he stumbled upon the wolf, who was lying in a ditch with his right eye missing from the socket and his left leg ripped off. The rabbit was shocked and shouted out with his stupid high-pitch voice “oh my what happened Mr. Wolf?” The wolf snarled and coughed before replying “Nothing you little shit. I just made a bet with Mr. Bear. I bet him my right eye he can’t tear off my fu*king leg”. Now there’s a lesson to be… Read more »
Not sure the atmosphere at the Westfalenstadium is the best to introduce Bellerin, but he’d be jittery as hell anyway I suppose.
If wenger thinks hes ready then he should play. This is a huge chance for bellerin to impress and if he’s good enough to play for The Arsenal he’ll take it.
Wasn’t Arsene a center back? Is it too late to register himself as a player manager this season. Anyone will do now.
Steve Bould too, and he’s only 15 years too old, rather than 30 years too old!
Not all that worried about Hayden & Bellerin getting the call up, the lads have to prove themselves at some stage. Whats the point playing them against the so called lesser teams in the league who park the bus against us? All we’ll learn from those kinda games is if they’re any good going forward. Sometimes throwing them in at the deep-end can be benificial to the player, hasn’t done Chambers any harm has it?
I’ll play.
So when are we panicking? I’m ready to go right now, but I can always wait for a few more injuries before I start running around like a headless chicken, screaming random obscenities.
I’ll play. 07890498764.
Called that number pretending to be Arsene. I assume its’ a fake number, because the person whom answered didn’t have a clue what I was going on about.
Right Arse blog! I’m holding you guys directly responsible and will expect an apology on the next Cast. Why oh why is no one at the press conferences asking about our supposed new anti injury expert from Holland when Wenger reels offof the list of dying and dead? As sports journalists you are our eyes and ears. Perk up!
#findramblingpete
Seriously’? Whilst I wish Chambers good health, I think it’s almost comical. Tonsiltitis, you could’t make it up.
Look, Wenger isn’t an idiot. He plainly thought that out of the options available in the transfer market who would have been willing to play third choice centre back (likely a Squillaci/Silvestre type player), none of these could improve on a young and promising Isaac Hayes. Is that so bad? Lets just get behind this team lads
Yeah. Thats right. I called him Isaac Hayes
I think people would have been less concerned if Wenger had said that. So far he hasn’t exactly bigged up Hayden as being ready to come in if needed.
Let’s hope we’re able to go through this game injury-free.
Im not being cocky but sczny the keeper needs to sought his goal keeping one thing with the said players missing plus injured defence we need the team to be class v dortmund away, seriously this injury crisis is utter bollox
How did we get into this position, seriously? Wenger is incredibly intelligent, so are his backroom team. Did someone not stand up and point out the frailties of the human body and the fact that injuries are going to happen and oh WHAT IF they all happened together. Every team is having injury worries of course but the difference is they have cover and depth to make up for it. It really is so frustrating to have to go around in circles every year. I’m not going to start with the Wenger or Shad out bullshit but really how does… Read more »
Its fine….bellerin and Hayden have got this…! Everton last year had soany of their starting ayers missing and ended the season with so many rising stars….we’ll do the same! It’s more fun winning the league this way!
WOW, your ambition is something else!!!!! Just to put things in perspective, you’re comparing us to Everton. It that REALLY who we should be aspiring to replicate? N-O!!!!!! They should be looking to us as an example. I swear, some supporters expectations have been lowered way too much that they don’t realize where we actually sit (or should sit) in terms of stature & achievement.
Honestly I start believing that we train too hard. We have many injuries every season. I know that the injuries came in matches but if the body is too stressed you pick up an injury much earlier. We bought 2 players for RB. Can’t do more. We should thought about buying a third left back. Gibbs and Monreal out regularly. Mertesacker and Kos playing too many games this season again. Let’s hope the guys get well soon.
I typed in Ozil into my iPhone earlier, and predictive text gave me Izil….like that shitty arse wipe we had at school. How apt.
Very mature
Well said the constructive contributors highlighting the opportunity to give Bellerin & Hayden a few games. None of the doom-mongers on here would have bought Chambers or played him and he has proved Arsene right, so wait and see what happens rather than assuming things are going to go pear-shaped! Last time I looked we hadn’t lost a competeive game since Everton in Spring! People with a positive attitude achieve far more in life than those within negative one! #COYG
I’m generally positive towards both Hayden and Bellerin, as they’re developing nicely, but asking them to stop players like Reus (tomorrow) or Costa (in three weeks) is a bit much at this point. I watch the U21 from time to time, and they’re both quite far behind Chambers in my opinion. Also, you can be certain Mourinho and Klopp are both cynical enough to target the youngsters.
Hopefully, it won’t come to that though. Fingers crossed that our remaining defenders stay fit.