After Arsenal’s good performance in the early hours of last night, a 3-1 win against Mexican side Chivas, Arsene Wenger was keen to praise his side for their efforts and gave Arsenal fans good news that there was even more to come. After the match Wenger was quoted saying to Arsenal.com: “Not all of [the international players will be back]. But Ramsey will be involved, Sanchez will be involved.”
Many Arsenal stars featured on international duty this summer, with both Euro 2016 and the Copa America taking place. Although most players have now returned, there are a few outstanding numbers who are yet to join back up with the squad. Ramsey progressed further with his national side Wales than was expected at this summers Euro 2016. The Welsh national team reached the semi finals of the European Championships and so Ramsey was granted an extended holiday period. Sanchez of course featured in the Copa America once again with Chile and also won the competition beating Argentina in the final. It was anticipated that Alexis may have made the tour of the USA, because the Copa America final was much earlier than the Euro 2016 final, however due to an injury scare on Alexis’s ankle, the star has recovered just in time for Arsenal’s last legs of pre-season.
Wenger continued to state that although we now have the majority of our squad back in training, there are still three main first team players who are yet to return to the club for pre-season and are unlikely to be fully fit for the season’s opener. Wenger confirmed: “The latest players coming back will not be involved, that’s Ozil, Giroud and Koscielny, they are the last ones and I don’t think they will be involved on the tour on Thursday, but all the others will.”
So although Giroud, Koscielny and Ozil will not feature in Arsenal’s next pre-season match on Thursday, they may be fit enough to be on the bench for the first game of the season against Liverpool. With the Liverpool match not too far away, I’d be very surprised if Giroud and Koscielny are fit enough to start, whilst there is hope that Ozil may make the starting eleven given that he has returned early from his holiday break to meet up with the Arsenal side in LA.
After two strong pre-season performances in America, let’s hope that Arsenal can continue to build on this strong start ahead of the upcoming season.
By AH
Sorry to double post guys but…
Hmmmm…. Inter supposedly bidding for Cavani when they’re reportedly in need of selling a player or two to balance the books?? Interesting…..
Leceister agreeing a fee for Kaputska?? Interesting indeed….
Wenger – Grins matching pre-Ozil level…
Dean – ‘stay calm, madness incoming’
Josh’s excitement level – 9 pushing 10/10
(can i please go on record and state that I’d prefer Icardi over Lacazette personally. His conversion rate is utterly insane for a struggling, extremely defensive Inter side, and his selfishness, ruthless conversion and willingness to get in behind is everything we lack in Giroud)
Lacazette brings pace and flair but his conversion rate was similar to Giroud’s. Icardi’s conversion rate is simply world-class. We have enough flair elsewhere, we need a simple, pure finisher and Icardi is that man.
Josh37, this talk of inter and money problems is out of date. They have new cash rich chinese owners.
We have Xhaka, Coquelin, Elneny, and Santi all fit. That’s mean guarantee for stability and ball possession in the center. Also mean that we don’t need Ramsey to play from the wing. We can put the on fire Ox or Campbell there. Still hope Ozil fit to start.
My team for Liverpool fixture will be like this :
Cech
Bellerin Gabriel Holding/Chambers Monreal
Santi Xhaka/Coq
Ox/Joel Ozil Alexis
Akpom
………………Cech
Bellerin..Bielik..Gabriel..Monreal
……….Coquelin..Elneny
Ramsey………Ozil……….Cazorla
……………….Alexis
I think Xhaka should be eased into it. Elneny is settled, also we may need extra protection, these two played well together so it’s a safer bet. I’d go with either of Bielik Holding if no signings. Ramsey with some luck will be bursting with confidence after the Euros. Cazorla, should be fine, but at least we have Campbell Iwobi in wings. I think this team could hold it’s own if needs must.
I like your idea of Alexis as lone striker. But really? Elneny over Xhaka and Santi as winger?
Bielik as CB? Ramsey (again) as winger?
Santi and Xhaka are the only men at the team who have ability to run deep lying play maker (DLP) role. Both will be a holding midfielder in defend and “second brain” (besides Ozil) in attacking mode at once. If we push Santi at wing, we’ve to make sure that there’s still a DLP (Xhaka) there. I’ll pick Coquelin over Elneny to join Xhaka. The rest attacking line except Ramsey will be your selection.
Oh dear u might b right ….but I think holding or chambers will play and it’s not likely ozil will start in which case carzola in middle and ox on wing and xhaka will start for sure but the very fact that either team would be kicking off season tells me that wenger still doesn’t know what he is doing to win this thing
If Ox is going to be in form maybe he will take the right flank for the first games until hopefully someone “native” for that position can take the place. Ox is a mystery to me (and I dare to say to Wenger as well). He looks so good on the right flank but his best performances were when he played through the middle. Ox on the right side did not offered enough cover for Bellerin/Debuchy. But this may change now with Xhaka/Elneny/Coq/Santi in the middle. Not sure if we will still play 4231, we may even see a 4321 tree more fitted for Ox. Time will tell but judging by the preseason games Wenger will probably stick to the 4231 formation.
I don’t know why I like this but I am going to say it anyway: our players look very upset. It is because they know no one guarantees them first team place? I hope this is the reason. They don’t smile, they don’t play. They just work. It may be nothing but then again it may be something.
This sounds like the perfect opportunity to come to the conclusion “we need no new strikers, our players will be like new signings”
Reading that Vermaelen is being lined up for a return, it might be another bs rumour, I certainly hope so. But I expected Wenger to go back for him truth be told, the price, the familiarity, and he was our captain. I think it’d be a mistake, very poor injury record, as if we haven’t had enough already. He is aged, we need to think about the long term, and improving. We need better than what we have.
Was just watching 2013/14 season disasters the other day. And in almost every one of them Vermaelen was on the field. Now he’s older, injuried tokk their tool, not so many games played. Never again. Is he going to play for free?
Am sorry, but ramsey being ready for any arsenal game is never great news.
You should be sorry….
Whatever you smoke, bring something over here.
Seems ramsey excursions at the euros have pulled the wool over some of you guys eyes..
Ramsey is nothing but a poor man’s rakitic, and is is a average player at best who can’t and will not get any better than he already is.
Even stevie wonder can see he’s the weak link in an otherwise very enviable midfield roster, as frustrating as giroud can be, I still rather see his name on the team sheet rather than ramsey’s.
I know right?? Putting in world-beater performances for one of the biggest underdogs in the tournament… Arguably the best performance at the Euros that absolutely dismantled Belgium??
Who does that flashy, blonde haired twat think he is convincing us simpletons he’s an actual proper player?
Get real … The euros was a non tournament … And it’s telling that no big player emerged from it … Ramsey did nothing against England which is as meaningful as his performance against Belgium .. Having him on bench is fine with me but if he is going to be our wing option for the coming season we can kiss EPL good bye already
Thats the problem. Ramsey played in ozils position with instructions to go forward, centrally, every time Wales attacked. The only difference was he had to defend more because the team he was in were underdogs. And he was outstanding. 1 goal and 4 assists in only 5 games (he missed the semi) I’ll do the maths (your welcome) in a 38 game season he would have 30 assists and 8 goals. I know this level of consistency is superhuman and that the Wales team had better strikers than giroud in Sam vokes and robson-Kanu but whatever you think of him you cannot deny the quality of his euros performance, even in things not shown in stats like motivational skills. If Ozil gets injured, Ramsey plays no.10 for me. He’s not disciplined enough for CM, and wants the ball too much for RM
Any arsenal player being fit is good news under all circumstances.
Injured arsenal player is always bad news.
There are no exceptions to the above.