Where does Wilshere ankle injury leave Arsenal?

The next two days could turn out to be the most important of the season for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. A humbling and humiliating Champions League defeat by Borussia Dortmund on the back of a stuttering start to the Premier League season has left us teetering on the brink of disaster.

Morale and self belief among the players must be pretty low and Wenger also has a mounting injury crisis to deal with ahead of a must win away game with high flying Aston Villa, who beat Liverpool at Anfield last weekend, so now is when the manager needs to really earn his money.

Wenger revealed in his post match interview, reported by Arsenal.com, that one of the few Gunners that has played well so far this season, Jack Wilshere, has turned his ankle against the German club and although it doesn’t look too bad, he may miss the game on Saturday.

So assuming that Arsenal are without Jack, how does Wenger go about getting a vital win at Villa? Aaron Ramsey will play, of course, and we really need the Welshman to start showing the form that earned him Player of the Year last season. Mesut Ozil could move back into the number 10 role, which might spark him into life, but we also have Cazorla and Rosicky.

After Mikel Arteta’s shocking showing in Dortmund, I really hope that Flamini is fit again, while our defensive frailties suggest that Chambers needs to play at right back rather than Bellerin. The most important thing for the boss to do, though, is pick up the players and get them in the right frame of mind to produce what we know they can. Will he be able to do it?

Tags Flamini Ozil Ramsey

45 Comments

      1. Our lucky was always going to run out eventually. Silly defensive mistakes shown in previous mistakes were covered up by some great attacking play. I know it’s Aston Villa away, and it’s a very difficult fixture given their form this season as well, but squad rotation is a must. The biggest incompetence from Wenger for me is his use of full backs… we’re practically playing a 2 man defence with 2 wingers, heck Sanchez was playing further back than Gibbs most of the game. He needs to strike a balance, or tell them to defend and that is it.

        I’m going to go for a controversial team line up myself, just so that Ramsey, Ozil and Sanchez (who had his hands on his knees midway through the game) can get a rest:
        Szczesney
        Chambers – Mertesacker – Koscielny – Gibbs
        Flamini – Diaby
        Chamberlain – Cazorla – Podolski
        Campbell

        But knowing Wenger it’s obviously going to be:
        Szczesney
        Chambers – Mertesacker – Koscielny – Gibbs
        Arteta
        Sanchez – Ramsey – Cazorla – Ozil
        Welbeck

        or maybe some sense might break into him and he’ll play Ozil in the middle… who knows.

          1. Klopp won’t happen, we have Wenger for another 3 years and buy then Klopp will be at madrid or somewhere better.

        1. For one game can we just play Ozil down the middle, so he doesn’t have to track back (because he doesn’t, leaving bellerin on his own, poor sod). And if he’s still shit, get rid.

          No more excuses for the Wenger or Ozil now.
          And give campbell and Rosicky some game time.

          1. @captinweestain
            Big ups to Alexis for trackin back and tryin to help out Bellerin. Dude is f**kn amazin, regardless of how many passes he misplaced…

        2. Not Ozil and Cazorla in same team. One of the CAM and the other on the bench. Then play a proper winger such as the Ox or Campbell so they have someone to pass to.

          1. Wenger can’t understand that concept, he likes to play two b2b and two cams when only one of each is needed.

  1. It forces Wenger to use Ozil as a 10 and Santi will then be used on the wings. Its problematic bec the outcome of the game style and efficients could the same.

    The team has to be build around Ozil. Every normal thinking person knows that. Ramsey and Wilsher are two players who dont complete each other, and using them in the same line up is a mistake. Rotation is the key, and rotation is something Wenger disslikes to do.

    The sooner fans get off this all adoring british hope for success the sooner Arsenal will come to play good again. Coyg

  2. Watching SKY Sports HQ…
    That Hayley McQueen is delicious and succulent… Mmmmmmmmm 🙂

    @Skandalouz
    I hoep it does that.
    Like I said before, Ozil should play in the middle and if he fails, he failed at his position.
    Wenger is accomodating the team for Wilshere, Why? It is like we have another Messi version…!!!

    Completly delusional and tactically clueless…

    We deserve better and have been for years.

    The FA Cup win (which he had nothing to do with… The players clearly won it) gave a second breath of health and he felt he could sign a new contract.
    May be loosing the finale last season would have been more beneficial in the long term.
    Time will tell.

    As for winning the CL, not a chance in “hell” or whatever you want to call it. We just don’t have the tools nor the manager (how far bak we have gone since 2006??).
    As for winning the BPL, let’s forget it… Top four if we are lucky.

    1. She has a lovely pair, i miss most of the headings due to her rack, i’m not joking or pervy. there staring you out.
      Mesmerizing.
      On topic, great another injury, will Campbell get a look in now? Will Ozil play through the middle more?
      You could tell the players were knackered last night.

      So who’s out already then debunchy-Diaby-Sonogoal-Wilshire-monreal. That takes the piss!

  3. mesut ozil, alexis sanchez, aaron ramsey, santi cazorla.

    sorry but im finding it hard to justify wenger, those 4 players are insane talents.world class players wanted by everyone.

    dortmund didnt have a single world class player on the pitch.

    but they had all the fundamentals in place. an a tactical manager who has implemented a philosophy which u see on the pitch.

    if dortmund didnt drop back after second goal- would have been 4-0

    1. And litle mozart and campbell, give these guys a run.
      Wenger chage things up please, or players will become disillusioned.

      There that’s 2 big boy words in one day 🙂

    2. its funny u should say that, we all cry for world class players instead of supporting the ones we had…Henry, Vieira Lgunberg, fabregas, Anelka, Ashley cole all became world class at Arsenal, we never bought them as world class players. The same Wenger tutored them to achieve magic but honestly i think he has lost the plot now, he was hungry then but maybe not as hungry anymore. I suspect Wenger’s motivation comes from creating magic out of nothing against all odds, interesting that our best ever achievement in champions league was with a make shift defence [Flamini at left back, senderos at centre back, Kolo Toure and Eboue] that was hardly a world class defence but they broke a long standing champions league record for the most minutes without conceding a goal. This is not FIFA 14, this is reality. Support ur damn players and leave the team selection to the manager, no matter how influential he is, he will have to leave someday, we will continue as supporters. Did u know LvG almost got barcelona relegated after winning La liga with them, we all recal Mourinho’ ill fated Real madrid sojourn.

  4. I think 4th position in the ucl group is better than 2nd or 3rd.
    In 2nd, we will meet the likes of Real madrid and get totally whipped. In 3rd we get to waste time and energy playing the likes of spuds in that cup i loathe most.
    But in 4th position, we move out and have a lot of practice and recovery time between PL matches. If we cant get, 1st, I’d rather 4th

  5. @muffdiver
    Correct
    It’s as simple as that man we lack the effort and fight because Arsene doesn’t bother with it Klopp would’ve tore his team a new a•sehole if they played like us last night, then Wenger comes out and says we were average lol. We’ve got the talent but if you don’t bust your gut for 90 minutes you win nothing. Imaging what Reus and hummels are thinking about Arsenal now.

    1. @jensenvk
      It doesn’t matter who we get as long as we still have players who lack fight and a decent work rate…

  6. anyone wanting to know why people like myself have doubted wengers ability to take us back to the top just needed to watch that game…even with same squad under klopp would be a different outift

  7. Wenger’s tactics are to blame. He didn’t address the defensive issue’s either. This bad start is down to him. Give bloody Campbell a chance.
    I know he has given so much to AFC but he misses the most obvious solutions. Great business manager, average football manager.

    1. Yes, because Wenger is teaching the players how to pass. Or how to run. I agree that Campbell could have run more than let’s say Ozil. But the sad truth is that none of the players turned out. We had 3 people tracking Immobile and none of them tackled him. This is no tactics. This is laziness. Lack of concentration, boredom, you name it.

      1. That’s what you get with zonal marking – no responsibility whatsoever. Pathetic! If one of our player’s was told by the manager “If Aguero/Immobile etc scores it’s your freaking fault!” then I think things would be different. To Mesut Ozil (in his usual out of position slot on the left wing) “If their keeper picks up the ball and throws it to their right back unchallenged “it’s your freaking fault”. You could go through our entire team like this and make each of them fully aware that they ARE personally accountable should the person they are supposed to be marking make a significant contribution. Yes, let’s play the ‘blame game’ and see who stands up to be counted and who wilts under the pressure. And stuff their delicate feelings and pay packets!

  8. Dortmund pressed us, worked harder and outran us, simple as that. Our main problem was that our tactics all round is wrong first and foremost . How can you concede a goal within a few second from a throw in that far up the pitch? That has to do with positioning.

    He needs to get Rosicky back into the team, he is what you call a champions league player. Also Joel needs to come into the team, he worked hard for Costa Rica and I’m sure he will do his best to cement a place.

    Ozil and Ramsey need to be dropped. You don’t stay in the team because of your performance last season, its the last few games that should determine if you should play or not, until someone else has a bad run.

    I still can’t believe how Wenger said prematch conference that Monreal can play CB as well. You would have thought after getting beaten last season with 3, 4, 5, and 6 goals that defence would be priority when it comes to transfer window.

    I also don’t get why Pundits even bother analysing games when Arsenal lose like this, because they keep saying the same thing, weak in defence, no leadership and no communication.

  9. Campbell to start on the left and Ozil where he belongs as the number 10,come on Wenger it’s not that difficult ! especially being paid 8m a year

  10. Listen per is important player for this squad, but seriously you cannot play him against the bigger teams! Games where the pace is high and it is not the players fault. Yesterday the whole team seemed unprepared and wenger did not do his job. His own egoism is making us suffer

  11. an injury to Wilshere and even Ozil may be a good thing….

    Wenger will not be stuck in a dilemma on having to field all of them in the same team..

    we can have Carzola or Rosicky playing the ACM role and Campbell, Oxie, Walcott and Sanchez rotating the wings…..

  12. I just wish wenger would play ozil behind welbeck woth alexis and eother ox/campball on the wings woth ramsey making deep runs. Wenger always try to be too smart hate this type of arrogance

  13. As much as i loathe Alex, i figure its better to read his sh*t than you alls.
    Lets see if i can gain some knowledge. 😉

    Any if anyone can help me out. I didn’t find a link to download Stillness and Speed in pdf format ofcourse. If you have the link, please provide. Thanks.

  14. Ian wright the latest plaayer calling for wenger just to use ozil in the middle why did you buy him for 42mil if your not gona use him properly. Start of last season with ramsey and occationally walcott woth ozil in tht 10 role worked great once both ramsey and walcott got injured ozil season was pretty much over, we were calling for wenger to provide ozil with pace uptop finally this season we have so mich pace uptop but wenger does a complete u-turn and puts ozil on wings

  15. Ozil actually played on the right primarily yesterday, which made Wenger’s decision to play him there more bizarre. I just don’t get Wenger, obviously it’s not the case but sometimes I get the impression Wenger doesn’t want to win, it’s like he gets a kick out of failing, I just don’t get it?

    1. He gets, or rather tries to get, a kick out of trying to prove other people wrong by playing people out of position, as if it’s some sort of wonder tactic. More like a blunder tactic! Ozil, even though left footed, was bad enough on the left wing, never mind the right. Why on earth is he on ANY wing when we have the Ox and Campbell fully capable of playing there? I used to be an AW supporter but just normal common sense says he’s lost it now. So sad.

  16. Szczezny
    Bellerin Mert Kos Gibbs
    Ramsey Chambers
    Ox Özil Alexis
    Welbeck
    This is how we should line up against Villa. Pace, power and all players in their preferred positions. If it’s not working, I’d take off Özil for Rosicky and maybe Welbeck for Campbell and push Alexis up top.

    1. Agree mate. I got slated for saying Chambers should slot into the DM role. Than The same people slated Flamini after the Man city game. Somehow mr stubborn, I think he will continue playing Ozil on wings. The name Arshavin rings a bell. For Wenger it’s all about building his team around Wilshire and doesn’t matter who he destroys in the process.

  17. Hopefully it will force Wenger to change this formation which is not working! I counted yesterday there were 4 occasions where Wilshere could have easily passed the ball but lost it after waiting forever with the ball when 3 players were closing down on him. No wonder England team is struglgling. Welbeck….hope if is no an inferior and younger and black Giroud in the making!

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