As usual the Arsenal fans have been getting some mixed messages from Arsene Wenger and the club about the extent of the injury to our French central midfield star Francis Coquelin and about how long we can expect it to be before the Gunners have his battling skills back in the team.
A month, two months and now three months have been mentioned by the boss and in his latest update, reported by Sky Sports, the Frenchman appeared to contradict himself once more.
Wenger said, “It is what we feared,” he said following Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League. “Let’s be realistic – it will be 10 or 12 weeks.
“He doesn’t need surgery but it will be a minimum of 12 weeks.”
So 10 or 12 then Arsene? And who would be surprised if those 12 weeks come and go and there is no sign of Coquelin coming back. That news about him not needing an operation, however, is very positive and encouraging and should mean that his return to action is not too much at risk.
Taking a quick look at Arsenal´s fixture schedule we see that 12 weeks from this weekend is the Premier League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford, which is a game that it would be great to have Coquelin available for. Before that though, we have Man City at home, Southampton, Liverpool and Stoke away and Chelsea at the Emirates as well as the start of the FA cup and the return of European football in the knockout phase.
How much will Arsenal miss Le Coq?
I hope baby please that Flamini and Arteta play at a high level for the next 3-4 months if Wenger refuses to sign someone in January because that’s a LOT of matches in 12 plus weeks
God speed to Coquelin
We miss you big time
Why are you getting thumbed down for stating nothing offensive ?
Le Coq was the one player we all didnt want to get injured esp for 12weeks in such a crucial stage for us but everyone from fans to top class ex professionals said we needed cover bar Arsey Bloody Wenger who again was wrong! He is going to be a huge miss im telling you. We need signings its as simple as that but we needed them 4months ago… a versatile forward and cover for Le Coq with Cech wouldvemade a massive difference for the whole squad, rotation is a big thing these days!
Win on Sunday and maybe an injured player or two coming back in Wilshere, Rosicky, Ox and Walcott then i will feel alot better
that could be enough for us to be fighting for top four. but who knows who we may call from loan this time round??
You know the script Bob, 12 weeks later and wenger will say that Coquelin needs an Operation.
What’s that Welbeck?
Yes, Yes of course, during the January transfer window, wenger will say that Coquelin is nearly back!
(To be fair, a Wenger’s nearly, could mean never! )
Whatever wenger says…
You have to take it with a pinch of Cash!
I am sick and tired of some fans who claim to be ‘more Catholic than the Pope’! Wenger is not a medical doctor, so whatever he says is from a lay man’s point of view. It is very unfair to accuse him of giving a wrong medical report. As we criticise Wenger we should do so from a point of maturity and objectivity rather than emotions and irrationality. None of us fans should imagine they love the team more than the manager. Hence it is not fair to always second guess the manager’s perceived intentions! It sounds arrogant and snobbish. No one would have wished to lose such a vital player in the middle of the season. Besides the manager loves victory for the team perhaps more than any of us. In all honesty does any one think that the manager would be happy not to win? As regards spending money where Wenger is often accused, I believe the club has mechanisms for dealing with such issues. It is not just one individual who decides on his own to spend as he wishes. Issues of management are not as simplistic as some fans make them out. A football club, like any other organisation, is a complex institution with a system which can be equated to a bureaucracy. It is not just a few individuals who decide for the club as some of us wish to believe. Institutions are always reluctant to spend money unless they are certain about the likely benefits to the organisation. It is not Wenger who wakes up and decides to spend money without the consent of other stake holders or refuse to spend when there is agreement to do so.
Good point, Davidrusa.
Also annoying is how people are already insulting Wenger for not signing a DM as cover for Coquelin. How many covers do you people want for the DM position? Flamini is a DM, So is Arteta. Ramsey can and has been used in that position before. We have seen Wilshere deployed on that role for England.
Wait a second whilst I get my violin out!!
Okay… nowJog on Spuds, you obviously don’t know the history of wenger and the same old same old senarios!
?
Fans are complaining and questionings Wengers sanity because Arteta and Flamini simply arent good enough and should of been released before the season started.
All Wenger had to do to avoid this potential disaster was spend $15-25M on Krychowiak, Imbula, Kondogbia or Wanyama this summer but once again his stubborn, exponentially frugal ways have Arsenal in deep trouble and woefully deficient in probably the most critical area on the pitch
SOS for most of us “Annoying” fans who have grown tired of the “Unaccountable One”
gunnerphyte and his bedfellow david are clearly on ludes…here are some quick shots.
1.There once upon a time was a fella by the name david dein…but now wenger is the be all and end all.
2.cover can be anyone, even you gunnerphyte…all we want is quality cover.
Whatever point you are trying to make became redundant soon as you mentioned Arteta and Flamini as capable replacement for Coquelin….Arteta’s legs are completely gone and he is injury prone whilst Flamini is always a tackle away from a red card or yellow…so explain to us what will happen now Arteta is out injured and when Flamini is inevitably suspended because lets be frank he will rack up yellow cards the more games hw plays….and your point about Wenger been handicapped by management when it comes to transfer dealing shows just how little you know about the running of the club….je has earned the right to identify players and buy them if he so wishes and the board will bend back to accommodate that…..and if he is getting flacks from fans it entirely down to his own stubborn increasingly irrational and amateurish decisions…moreover for 8million quids per year I think he is having it very easy
We need to sign a DM in January……Flamini will do well in some games but tired legs will set in and He does get injured sometimes too..
Let’s bring in a DM in January. Its now mandatory.
lets sign sissoko austin rugani bellerabi
moderation??!! what for admin
Bobby, good evening. Ofcourse we’ll miss le Coq’s top DM job at the Gunners base in Arsenal games. But that not to say Arsenal will suffer defeats as le Coq has become unavailable to play in the next 3 months as being projected by the Boss.
Yesternight Ucl victory over Zagreb is a proof that Arsenal will cope well in the absent of le Coq however difficult it maybe as Arsenal have good DM cover in the Gunners of Flamini & Ramsey or even Mathieu Debuchy as adequate options for DM job.
Buying a DM during the January transfer window should be a last resort adopted by the Boss if the internal options in the squad lacked quality delivery of DM job between now to end of December. But even if my above 3 DM options delivered success within that period. The Boss may still try his hand at the market in Jan for a possible signing of a DM, if he can find a top quality one and his price tag is affordable as there are still some grounds to cover in all competitions.
Nevertheless, I will prefer to see the Boss brings in a top affordable striker and a top left back in Jan if possible. Because that 2 areas need to be adequately cover against any mishap despite the facts that Duraceel Bunny has been played as option to Giroud against Zagreb. And Walcott will be available soon while Gibbs is now an option for mid left wing position.
Really ? Are you saying that by having Flamini and Arteta on our bench we’re not in a position of ‘last resort’ ? Did you miss the Sheffield game by any chance ??
Lars Bender wouldn’t hurt 😛
Just go buy someone now to come in January simple. Why can he just spend and to be honest we need 4 world class players. New CD DM utility player and CF that is what we need. Sod the summer transfer window get them in now and have a few months playing together
Arsenalkid1970 we do not need a CD,what we need is for Mertsacker to play off the bench and Gabriel out on the field. Wenger see it otherwise but Mertsacker is a liability against good teams than an asset. I agree that we need the CF and the DM but that’s not Wenger’s doing as he likes controvacy.
We do need a signing in January and once CL qualification is sorted or not wenger will know where he stands. No real point signing a player who cannot play in the champions league (or may be the Europa) so 2 things he has to look at there.
As for now it is what it is. No point berating the manager, what is done is done. Now what we need to do is get fully behind the team over the next 7 mat he’s before the window. Wenger will need to manage things correctly especially prior to the olympiakos man City and Southampton matches. Those 3 should be the hardest matches of the next 7 and wenger needs to play our best x1 available in those matches, in doing so he might need to protect them in the matches against norwich, Sunderland and villa.
Personally I would like to Ramsey afforded the opportunity to play alongside cazorla, but in a slight system change that would include flamini. Basically switching to the old Xmas tree formation. I would also protect our keeper and support flamini by leaving out mertesacker in those 3 big games drafting in Gabriel instead.
V olympiakos, man City and Southampton
Cech
Bellerin Gabriel koscielny Monreal
Ramsey flamini cazorla
Ozil alexis
Giroud
V Sunderland and villa
I would give as many of the above x1 as possible at least 1 match off prior to those games. Sunderland is prior to olympiakos and villa is prior to man City. Against 2 of the bottom clubs we should be able to preserve 1 or 2 and also against norwich we should be able to give one or two players a game. I wouldn’t mind seeing Debuchy or gibbs giving bellerin and Monreal a rest whilst chambers Gabriel mertesacker and koscielny could rotate a little. Not all at one just 1 or 2 changes. With Ramsey and chamberlain back, cazorla, ozil, and alexis could all be protected If not from the starting x1 certainly in the way of being substituted.
Another player needing protection is giroud. It is vital we have him available and 100% for the 3 big games, especially if Walcott doesn’t make it back in time for city. Perhaps giving campbell and sanchez a little go up front will help. Even having a look at mavididi, iwobi and reine-adelaide for a few minutes here and there.
Let’s not forget for all our injuries of late, we now only have coquelin, wilshire, Welbeck, Walcott, rosicky and arteta currently unavailable. For me the only player from that group that makes our starting x1 when everyone is fit is coquelin. Wilshire would run Ramsey close and Walcott would run giroud close but there is not a lot to choose between them, more over they are different type of players.
It is not time to panic it is merely time to plan carefully for the next 6/7 matches and utilise the whole squad.
If a quality replacement is not found inside or outside of the club we can wave goodbye to the EPL title, seriously. Second half of the season is way more difficult, there will be more defeats amassed against the bigger clubs, even with Le Coq. Without him there is an 8/10 chance we’ll lose to manure and Liverpool away, which, if we don’t lose a single game until January will bring our defeat tally to five. That’s one defeat away from maximum defeats a premier league champion has had in the last fifteen years.
It doesn’t look good, does it?