Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has claimed that it is impossible to play against Everton this weekend after the midweek encounter with Red Star Belgrade.
The Gunners battled to a hard-earned 1-0 win in Serbia on Thursday night, and must play again this coming Sunday and Tuesday respectively.
Arsenal did field a much-changed side from the previous weekend, and will be able to make wholesale changes to the starting XI come the trip to Goodison Park without much hassle, and the French boss has revealed that it would be ‘impossible’ to play again after the Europa League match-up.
“It is impossible to come off that intensity (against Red Star) and then play against Everton,” Wenger said when asked if wholesale changes could be expected at Goodison Park.
“Of course, I left 10 or 11 players at home and I decided to rotate at the start of the season.
“It is important to see that these players get stronger and stronger in every game. We play on Tuesday again, at home, so we have to have a global plan. We have to.”
Arsenal have put one foot into the knock-out stages of the Europa League with their win on Thursday, and they have been able to comfortably do so without many first-team players, with many fringe players having enjoyed run-outs so far.
Wenger has continued to use the Thursday encounters to allow his inexperienced players to gain valuable experience, as well as helping Jack Wilshere to build up his match strength having returned from injuries.
With matches to come on Tuesday as well as Sunday, it would be crazy to expect the starting XI to remain the same after such a tough match, and you can’t complain about Wenger’s use of the squad, especially with our 100% record in the Europa thus far.
Should any of our players from Thursday be starting at Everton on Sunday?
Pat J
The only exciting thing about Arsenal football club this season is the return of Jack Wilshere, with our agenda against spending money Wilshere is our only hope of having an effective and creative midfield. I feel Ramsey and Xhaka are a waste of time in the cm position unless parterned with a soley defensive Le coq. I feel a midfield of Le coq and Wilshere is the way forward i would also be tempted to go back to 4 3 3 with our current injury list the team below would have Kos at cb if fit to face everton
Cech
Bellerin Monreal Holding Sead
Wilshere El neny Coq
Giroud
Laca Sanchez
He’s got a global plan? Is he becoming a megalomaniac.?
It makes sense, but it is better if he keeps most players from the winning team. Luis Enrique also rotated his players a lot in Barcelona and it did not work well, because his squad rotation players (such as Andre Gomes and Alcacer) do not have the same abilities and experience as his first teamplayers.
If Wenger prefers to rely on his squad rotation players’ stamina over the abilities and experience of his first team players, he had better select them based of their performance, not based on favoritism. Currently Arsenal really lack creativity, guts and determination in their play.
From Thursdays team I would play the following:
Nelson
Sheaf
Debuchy
Elneny (as CB)
Holdings
Cech
Maitland-Niles
Wilshere
Jack Wilshire
Obviously Wenger needs to rotate in terms of fitness issues, but it’s not helping in terms of performance issues though. We have been shocking this season! Even though we’re winning our home games in the league, we have still looked really poor, and got very lucky against West Brom, and Leicester. It’s all set up perfectly for a Everton win on Sunday, because Wenger ALWAYS makes a struggling team look like Barcelona!
This article seems to be
written by a madman.
The article is saying that Wenger
is going to shock everyone by
rotating his squad something which
has hitherto never been done before in the history of football.
This football genius of a Manager is going to risk using fresh players like
Bellerin Koz Mustafi Monreal Kolasinac Xhaka Ramsey Ozil Sanchez and Lacazette.
No wonder this man is paid 8mill per year to come up
with this never before tried “squad rotation global plan”.
History is being made before our very eyes.
OT.
I will like to use this opportunity to appreciate work of our fringe players, reserves and youths.
They have been about to accumulate 100% result in the Europa league and Carabao so far despite the fact that some of them are playing in unusual positions. Kudos to them.
I read some comments here criticizing some players over their performance against Red Star. Come on guys, how can you blame a central defense of Debuchy, El-Neny and Holding for lapses?
Wingbacks of Nelson and Maitland? Even when they did not conceive a goal?
Come on guys, let’s give them their due respect.