Arsenal will assess Laurent Koscielny and Ainsley Maitland-Niles tomorrow as they weigh up the duo’s inclusion in the squad for Sunday’s home game with Southampton.
As Unai Emery explained last night, Koscielny was taken off as a precaution during yesterday’s 3-0 win over BATE Borisov. Soon after he was seen to be having his left calf strapped. The medical team have said the issue is ‘minor’ but you’d imagine if there are any lingering doubts he’ll sit things out.
Maitland-Niles has missed a couple of days of training due to the illness doing the rounds at London Colney. Stephan Lichtsteiner took his place yesterday.
Having sat out last night due to suspension, Alex Lacazette will return to the squad.
We’ve a busy week ahead with a home game against Bournemouth on Wednesday and a trip to Wembley to face Sp*rs on Saturday coming up. Expect Emery to indulge in a bit of rotation along the way.
Hope Jenkinson gets a go. Lich clearly doesn’t have the pace anymore for any opponent in the premier league, and I actually think jenko is a better option than amn. The latter is clearly a better footballer but I’d almost always go for someone whos grown up playing the position over someone who’s being shoehorned in through necessity.
Jenkinson is shit, he couldnt cut it at birmingham city in the championship and no-one wants to buy him.
this is exactly why the club is going down the drain, rather we try one of the u23 kids.
world class players being forced out of the club and the shit that we had all forgotten was still on the books rising to the top.
wa hay wenger out brigade
a beautiful future in store
Jenkinson is not as good as Lichsteiner. A very limited player.
But he has more fitness on account of age.
It’s a bit of a toss up between mediocrity and over the hill.
That said, Lichsteiner played well last match. The issue would be of course on recovery rate.
We may yet have to use Jenko.
What peeves me is we wasted 90k on Lichsteiner when we could have kept in Chambers with utility at right of back 3 or full/wingback (as he did with Soton) or even at midfield.
Really hope Kos isn’t proper injured. We need him and Sokratis at CB for the rest of the season to have any chance of making top 4 or winning the Europa League!
Not really.
When we played Mustafi, Sokratis and holding, we went 19 matches unbeaten.
Issue has also been as much midfield.
We had much better control last 2 matches against Bate with Granit then we did with Torreira against Huddersfield.
We could have lost any of those 19 matches, the defence never looked solid during that run, we just outscored most teams in the 2nd half or managed to get a draw.
Thought Lichtsteiner had a good game yesterday. Bored of the predictable fan comments on him which borders on disrespectful to be honest.
He didn’t play against Premier League opposition yesterday. The league is more physical and fast paced, he can’t cope.
Still have to give him credit.
Bate are still reasonably decent opponents akin to a bottom half side.
Seems London Colney is more susceptible to germs than your average London office, and we have to share packed underground trains with horribletons that cough in your face and don’t blow their noses. A very sickly lot are the Arsenal staff.
Kroenke’s withdrawal of $3m really hurt the facility’s Purell budget. KROENKE OUT!!!!
Vile narrative. Kroenke long stopped “taking out” the $3m in Consulting fees (which his company, it can be argued, is entitled to seeing the structural changes made over last 7 years) as can be gleaned from the club financials for the past three or more years.
I wonder if they are protecting AMN a bit, after the recent shithead comments on social media. I would like to see Jenks get a run out. Lichsteiner did have a slightly better game last night – but that could have been the quality of the opposition?
I said it before for those ridiculous absolutist that insist we “have to” play a “positive” back 4 line up, everything will depend on tactical situation, opponents and availability of our own resources. Koscielny as good as he has been for us 9ver the years is on his last legs. He’s an older player carrying injuries and wear and tear will be an issue. Which is why even with Sokratis returned to fold, we will need Mustafi. Again just to torpedo the trite that is often spouted, Mustafi was not around when we shed points to BHA, Soton and West… Read more »
After all is said and done at the back, Gunners need to bring in a very solid CB next season even with Holding coming back.