Arsene Wenger has given us a full injury update ahead of the Premier League opener against Leicester City.
We had to ring the changes for the Community Shield match against Chelsea, with Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Laurent Koscielny among those missing from our starting line-up.
He has assured us of returns to fitness for the likes of Shkodran Mustafi, but question marks remain on the likelihood that others will be fit. Alexis Sanchez is one who will definitely not make it back however.
“I have plenty of uncertainties about the players who didn’t play against Chelsea,” said the boss. “For example Ramsey, Ozil, Mertesacker… and of course Koscielny is suspended.
“I have players coming back who have not played, like Mustafi. Alexis will not be available for example, so I cannot go into the game with too many uncertainties. I can take a gamble on one, maybe maximum two, but I focus more on the players who had the right number of competitive minutes in recent weeks.
“We are well prepared and ready for a fight, and of course ambitious as well.
“I think we have a good level of physical preparation. All our players got a decent number of minutes of good competition, so overall the preparation of the squad looks good.
“Then we need to transform the quality of the preparation into points and that is of course a pragmatic view, but what matters is we win the next game and start in a strong way, which we didn’t do last year. That’s what we want to achieve this season.”
Could Leicester prove a problem for us on Friday? Do we believe that Alexis is actually injured?
Pat J
Wheres Kev = Resources on his ever changing updates?
from done and dusted to next week to pulling out of deal
Lol…Leave them alone. I’ve always found it hard to believe them. Admin please how can i contact you? i’m using my phone and i cant see any “contact us”. I have a post i’ll like to share with everyone please
Just goes to prove that nobody has any “inside knowledge” of our transfer dealings………
I don’t know who will start at the back but I will start play Ox(RwB), Sead (LWB). Xhaka and Elneny. Front three of Welbeck, Laca and Iwobi.
Seems like Ozil and Ramsey won’t be available as well. We seem not to do well in our first game of the season but hopefully we get a win on Friday..
Nice idea. high time Bellerin sits and be allowed to fight for his spot again. The same line up against Chelsea should be used if we don’t have creative players but OX on the right this time and Sead on the left. Plus leave Iwobi on for the full 90 minutes please, the boy was a threat against Chelsea, please don’t bring in Walcott for him. I’ll prefer Nelson be given the chance,Walcott has had ten years
The big injury list means we are doomed, but I agree with your selection, except I would put Monreal as LWB:
——————–Cech
—-Holding–(Any fit DC)–Kolasinac
Chamberlain–Elneny–Xhaka–Monreal
————–Iwobi–Lacazette
——————Welbeck
Sanchez and Mustafi are not ready, since they didn’t play in the preseason matches.
put Lacazette where he belongs, your most lethal should play up front.
Wish we can pull off the kind of performance and result against Everton on the 15th of August 2009 for a dream start to the league
Lol…Leave them alone. I’ve always found it hard to believe them. Admin please how can i contact you? i’m using my phone and i cant see any “contact us”. I have a post i’ll like to share with everyone please
I see no reason why you got so many thump down. he said he didn’t see NOT there’s no, what’s wrong with that? I can’t even access this site using opera mini. you see.
Ask them why i got the thumb down for asking Admin a technical question?? bunch of haters full on this site… yea well fvck it..none of your thumbs up add or reduce any value from my bank account?
Arsenal with lots of injury problems as usual, is anything really changing?
We didn’t have a lot of injuries last season
Wow, only dislikes?! Haha Why are Arsenal fans so touchy when it comes to facts? Maybe I should bury my head in the sand, and go into this season with a big smile on my face!
The truth hurts my friend…either you accept it or you go deluded.
Hahaha
Muff d:
“We messed up so badly with the contracts and wage structure here…it’s unreal”
I would like to reiterate that WE have not messed up anything. It is an insult to our fanbase to put us in the same sinking boat as our incompetent, idiotic manager, board & staff members have put us.
I’m not a business man or couldn’t do any of the work our current staff are but even I know YOU DON’T REWARD MEDIOCRACY WITH BIG MONEY. Who the hell wants to buy Debuchy 70k a week? Or Jenkinson 45k a week?!
We are in a puddle of WENGER and his yes men’s doing, and I can’t see next season being any different from others. This summer will be 2012 all over again.
Giroud, Podolski, Cazorla early IN -> top scorer RVP SOLD
Lacazette & Kola early IN -> top scorer SANCHEZ SOLD
Repeat.
You have good memory. We know that:
– Giroud: We can consider he is a good purchase, if we compare his goals and his price.
– Podolski: Wrong purchase.
– Cazorla: A very good purchase.
I think Lacazette and Kolasinac would be great purchases as well. I am sure the third new player will come, and it could be another panic buy.
Thing is, it seems like we never seem to strengthen our squad. We bring in 2 quality players -> we lose the player who CARRIED US last season.
Kolasinac looks ready but it’s possible Lacazette will need a season to adapt, like most forwards do.
Last summer we brought 4 new players but yet, the excuse for the dip in form was “the contract situations were hampering our performances”.
I mean, when will we be ready? If it’s not the lack of transfer movement, then it’s unsolved contract issues or literally any excuse available. I would like to see Wenger go on and say “we are 100% for the new season squad-wise, quality is there and contracts won’t be an issue.”
Funny thing is, he stated today we are physically ready. So I wonder if the August excuse will still be “we weren’t physically ready.” like it was last August.
What we need to do is learn how to control our tempo and our aggression levels. Too many times we have seen ourselves trying to play a comfortable passing game, before realising that we need to pass quicker. Aggression, we tend to only get aggressive in response to a team being physically intimidating. Even then not all our players are able to just switch mentality like that. Koeman I have seen allowing us to get comfortable, then all of a sudden the tempo is raised and we begin to make unnecessary mistakes.
We need to start becoming the aggressors, then that will automatically quicken our passing game. Teams don’t like playing us when we’re in this mood, but it’s difficult at times for us to go full on. Having some players who prefer the casual passing game, or some who tend to hold onto the ball for too long. It makes it difficult at times. If Wenger wants a quick start from his team, he is going to have to tell them to go out there to dominate the other side – Be quicker then them – Be stronger than them – Scrap for that second and third ball – Want it that much more.
To answer the article writer’s questions.
1-Yes.
2-Yes.
I don’t agree with you on number 1. How can they be a problem? what’s their squadie like?
Can we not go through the entire long season each week saying will this team be a problem for us?
Surely by now we realise:
1. The premier league is strong and any team here can win or give a good account of themselves. Think about how hard it is to get promoted from the championship. If not technically great even the weaker teams are scrappers and likely organised.
2. We never know which arsenal will trunk up, the yes that’s my arsenal or wtf was that!?
3. Luck and the ref play a small part.
I’d prefer we discuss each team we are about to play and their strengths and weaknesses.
Home or away Brighton/Huddersfield or Manchester city every game is a potential banana skin.
Concentration, consistency and killer instinct please guys.
i started to feel ,Sanchez to psg and lucas moura & matudi to arsenal is going to happen as Sanchez will also be missing the game with Stoke.
if we play with the team that played the shield, it would/should be enough to get past leicester. this is the 6th time we start the season at home consecutively( 1W 1D 3L)
our record in last 7 opening match: 1W 3D 3L…. shameful, horrendous atrocious
compare that to chelsea last 10 : 8W 2D
We have to win at all cost, i dont care if its an own goal, a pinball goal, a strike going in the ref ass or wenger himself scoring with a towering header in the 95th min; WE HAVE TO WIN PERIOD.
interesting stat all time epl opening game: P25 W13 D6 L6
Half those defeat came in last 4 campaign.
I’m not so sure alexia is injured looks like 80 million quid from psg is the business get him off to France I think we have enough to sustain the challenge till January transfer window where we can target players towards the end of their contract like kolasnic because with these crazy prices God help us, I’m feeling good about the new season for some strange reason, come on YU goooooners!!!!!
Injury or no injury arsenal remains, injury help atimes to create chance for another player, Per injury pace way for sead our only goal scorer against Chelsea, most of d injury r not for long time, apart frm Cazolar, I have hope we still have fit players to do d job well against Leicester
You could add the injury list to multiple last-year player contracts, a pool of deadwood, and a lack of summer signings. Hmmm . . . this season, unfortunately, appears to be following an ongoing multi-year pattern at the club. Oh well, another season of promises, and here we are, beginning yet another year like the year’s past . . . .
Why hell have we got all these injuries at the beginning of the season? What on earth are they doing in training?
As for Sanchez he is just full of it and needs to get out of our club now! He is trying it on- get him into the reserves or training with the kids and get him Away from the club as a priorty.
Hit them hard we easily have enough quality with the players available.
3-1 Arsenal
3 Pts