It would be a lot easier for Arsene Wenger to give a few of his key Arsenal players a rest if the Gunners were doing better in the Premier League and Champions League. And if the visitors to the Emirates stadium this week was not high flying Southampton who have been very strong all season, maybe the Frenchman would feel happier to rotate his Arsenal team a bit.
But a bagful of ifs and a pound would give me just enough to buy something from the pound shop, so the manager has to deal with the situation in the best way he sees fit. And because of all the injury problems the Gunners have had so far this season, players like Danny Welbeck, Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla, Calum Chambers, Kieran Gibbs and Per Mertesacker have had to play in almost every game.
Wenger admitted after beating West Brom on Saturday that our legs had gone at the end, with just determination and the desire to win getting the gunners over the finishing line at the Hawthorns.
The Frenchman told Arsenal Player, ““I’m very pleased because when you play on a Wednesday night in the Champions League and then on Saturday lunchtime, the time of recovery is very short.
“We came with a desire to win the game and I think it was a deserved win. The legs had gone a little bit in the last 15 minutes but we wanted to push it through and we did it with a great solidarity.”
At least we have Olivier Giroud back, but Walcott’s return has been delayed and now Arsenal are without Arteta and Wilshere, with four more games in 10 days starting on Wednesday. After that, things should be better, with Debuchy also due back and Wenger hopefully having a few more options to play with.
Until then, however, I think the boss will keep risking his big players and hoping that it does not lead to any more injuries or burn out. We do have the likes of Podolski and Rosicky desperate for time on the pitch, but do you think Wenger is going to give them a chance in the next few games?