Gunners missing 25 players - Only 13 fit for purpose
To Hull and back
By Boris Mellor
December 18 2009
I was really excited when I heard from Phil Brown that teams like Arsenal have squads as large as 50 to 60 players. Until Phil Brown alerted me to this I had been unaware of all these extra players. I wondered who they were and rushed to the squad list, only to be disappointed, its only 35. Thus on Brown's criteria we are 25 players short.
However, is it the case that the squad of 35 is stuffed full of highly experienced players? I carefully checked them out. Giants of the premier game sprung out at me, Randall, Gilbert, Merida, Barazite, Merida, Sunu, Szczesny, Coquelin and Watt. Then I looked at the injury list, RvP, Bendtner, Clichy, Fabregas, Rosicky, Traore, Gibbs and Djourou. Then I looked at the living dead Walcott, Eduardo and Diaby, players that can't seem to shake the effects of injury.
Only 13 fit for purpose.
So let us add it up, that's 8 injuries, 8 youth team players with little experience, one Championship reject, and three players yet to find their form after injury. Not an embarrassment of riches. Indeed more of the injured players are natural first team players than those who are starting at present
So if you took strict criteria of players who are actually good enough to play on a regular basis Arsene is down to 15 fit, but suitable players, and only 12 of those are outfield players. Then let's look at the remaining 12 outfield players, they include Vela and Silvestre.
No wonder Wenger is worried about the fixture list, he has got to nurse this lot through a crowded fixture list over Xmas. He also has to hope that the lame will pick up their beds and walk, and that the living dead get some true blood into them and find form. Even if that happens I am not convinced how good we will be without a replacement for RvP.
Fortunately its Hull tomorrow, a team that is yet to win away from home this season, and has lost four and conceded 21 goals, surely even our diddy tippy tappies can't fail to get a few this time. They need to as the next home game is Villa.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009:12:20:18:06:55 by Padre Pio.
Padre the right click on this site is disabled again, it happended a few weeks ago too, why is this
I think we will win comfortably tomorrow, but if things dont get better soon it wont be good.
I really hope I am wrong and it muddles through
"When we had to suffer the team is a lion because they suffer together." 4 July 2020 at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arteta on his team's first away victory at a club above them in the Premiership since September 2015 at Leicester.
Recalled WHU on a run of winless of 6 r more matches, and we lost to a 90th minute goal at Upton PArk - PArdew?
Again, Bolton winless for umpteen games...we lost...Big MOuth?
Blackburn - another winless run....there for the taking..and we lost.
Hul City?
Last season, we kicked start their season and consoaltion si that they ebat S*CUMS as well....and talking about EUropean places as well..
Well, deja vu..are we going to kick-start Hull City season again?
I am realistic, I see more chances of a 1-0 to Hull City rather than Arsenal win.
I hope I am worng and pray that Wenegr had coem out with another "Rope da Dope" tactics to knock Hull city off the pitch.
"When we had to suffer the team is a lion because they suffer together." 4 July 2020 at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arteta on his team's first away victory at a club above them in the Premiership since September 2015 at Leicester.
Lets face it he has done a fantastic job of keeping us in the top four whilst balancing the books and financing the new stadia.
That said fans paying sixty quid a game are not really interested in that,they are paying to see success,quite rightly so.
Quote:Padre Pio
I expect a win today, this isnt about one match, this is about the long term rest of season. This 3 points is vital, we need them to keep us going whilst waiting for the return of the injured, and the refreshing of the living dead
I am less optimistic. Losing Cesc is like losing a significant portion of our creative game. Diaby, Denilson and Song are not the creative talents who can step into his shoes. Arshavin is possibly the best creative talent to step into that role but Arshavin plays in a more advance position than Cesc and is not one to string the ball from the back to the front. IMO Nasri can do that job but his present form is in a bit of a funk and tends to disappear from parts of the game.
Given the current dearth of creativity and the goal scoring confidence, it is critical we do not concede today. If we do, we have a huge mountain to climb.
"When we had to suffer the team is a lion because they suffer together." 4 July 2020 at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arteta on his team's first away victory at a club above them in the Premiership since September 2015 at Leicester.
We cna score, but can we keep clean-sheet against Villa, Pompey & Bolton?
"When we had to suffer the team is a lion because they suffer together." 4 July 2020 at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arteta on his team's first away victory at a club above them in the Premiership since September 2015 at Leicester.
"When we had to suffer the team is a lion because they suffer together." 4 July 2020 at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arteta on his team's first away victory at a club above them in the Premiership since September 2015 at Leicester.