- Theo Walcott, Laurent Koscielny and Gervinho have been ruled out of Arsenal's UEFA Champions League clash with Olympiakos.
Ivory Coast star Gervinho will also miss the visit of Olympiakos along with defender Koscielny meaning Arsene Wenger will have to shuffle his pack.
Koscielny has an ankle problem sustained in a challenge with Bolton's Nigel Reo-Coker, while Gervinho is struggling with a muscle strain.
Wenger is hopeful all three will recover in time to be fit for this weekend's North London derby with Tottenham at White Hart Lane.
"Koscielny, Gervinho and Walcott are not fit," said Wenger.
"All three have a chance for the weekend. Walcott could make the derby. He has more than a 50-50 chance."
- Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says Manchester United rival Sir Alex Ferguson is right in saying the Champions League is a superior competition to the World Cup.
"I always said that club football is better than national team football, by far," Wenger said.
"You have the best players from any country in the national team. In any big club you have the best players of all the countries in the world. It’s as simple as that.
"Take the world champions, Spain. What is Barcelona? It’s Spain plus Lionel Messi, plus Dani Alves, plus others. Logic says it is better than the national team. And Spain is the best national team in the world."
- Arsene Wenger is backing Arsenal’s medical staff, insisting they are not to blame for Jack Wilshere's injury concerns.
The Gunners boss told declared: "I don't think that the medical staff made any mistake on this case.
"It is unfortunate, we are all very sad at the club that it has happened to such a young boy.
"We were even more worried, but it was a big relief yesterday for everybody at the club that the operation went well."
Wenger continued: "The fracture he had didn't heal, what I have been told is that we had to go in quite quickly to repair it and that's why we decided to do it so quickly.
"He had an earlier fracture at the age of 16 that healed and around that he created another opening.
"Is it down to a kick, is it down to playing too much? I don't know, I am not a specialist, but that is unfortunately what happened. He told me he felt it the first time [when playing for England] against Switzerland."
- Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is pleased with the form of captain Robin van Persie.
Wenger said: "I have a high level of expectation for him and his performances are as high as I expect them to be.
"He plays well with the team, with the other players, finishes well and his finishing record is absolutely fantastic - Robin has scored 26 goals in 31 games.
"Basically I am very demanding with Robin and he does as well as I expect him to."
- Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is pleased with how new signing Per Mertesacker is settling in at The Emirates.
The experienced defender turns 27 this week and the French tactician feels he is now beginning to show his true form.
"Per is getting stronger and stronger," said Wenger.
"He is calm, intelligent and he is now showing clearly that he can lead the defence."
The former Werder Bremen defender is encouraged by Wenger's praise.
"If the coach is praising me, that is of course a great thing to hear," said the 76-cap international defender.
"But I have to keep working on things, I know I can play even better. I want to put in some good work, especially on defence, that's my job."
- Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is excited by what Mikel Arteta can offer.
“He is not a newcomer,” Wenger said. “Everybody knows him in England. We all knew he is an excellent player. He has integrated very well into the group.
“Mikel is a complete football player - he can defend, he can attack, and is very ambitious. He wants to do well and is very professional.”
- Arsenal playmaker Mikel Arteta has no problem with the pressure of expectations at the Emirates.
"You expect pressure," he said. "A club like Arsenal has to be in that situation [at the top in the Premier League and Champions League]. If they are not, it means people are not expecting big enough things.
"That [pressure] is what we all want, hopefully it will stay like that and we can respond to it."
- Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insists Andrey Arshavin is a big part of his plans.
“I think he’s had a good start to the season,” said Wenger. “Gervinho was a little bit in front and he did very well, and he [Arshavin] is a bit in and out. Maybe you will see him tomorrow.
“I rotate more the strikers than anybody else and Andrey, you cannot fault.”
Wenger believes the Russia captain has an unfair reputation in certain quarters and remains adamant his No 23 is a model professional.
“There is a difference between the image that Andrey has and who he is really is,” said the boss. “He is a very conscientious hard-worker in training.
“Sometimes he has an image a little bit of a non-caring person and that is not at all [the case]. He is 100 per cent a professional player.
“I think what he needs more is confidence. He had a difficult end of season last year and I believe since a few weeks now, he is in very good form.”
- Arsenal signing Ju Young Park admits he had to defy his Mum back in South Korea to realise his dream to be a footballer.
"I began kicking a ball when I was really little with my friends in my home town of Daegu - but when I got to about 10 or 11 I would keep it secret," he said.
"My mother was really against it and wanted me to study, so I'd play on the sly. Time passed, she watched me a few times and after a while she relented on her insistence that I shouldn't play anymore."
- Arsenal will have no problem tempting Tim Ream away from New York Red Bulls if it comes to finances.
Ream's camp have confirmed Arsenal are keeping tabs on the young centre-half after his stellar performance in the Emirates Cup in August.
- Arsenal are monitoring Ricky Alvarez's situation at Inter Milan.
Alvarez's camp have already floated the idea of a loan move away in January, though Arsenal are expected to come in with a firm offer for the midfield schemer.
Having lost Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas during the summer market, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has been left further reeling by news that Jack Wilshere could be out for six months following ankle surgery.
A dynamic midfield playmaker, who has been likened to Kaka, Alvarez fits the bill for an Arsenal manager fast losing quality options in his midfield.
No comments:
Post a Comment