When the Arsenal and France international centre back Laurent Koscielny was sent home after meeting up with his French team mates and being diagnosed as suffering from `acute tendonitis` in both ankles, it was said to be merely a precaution and that the 29-year old centre back would be fine to play the Premier League game against Hull City on Saturday.
But now the latest news reported by The Telegraph is that Koscielny will need more time to recover, plunging the Gunners into a defensive crisis and once again raising the question of why Arsene Wenger did not sign another specialist centre back during the summer transfer window.
The boss would normally turn to Calum Chambers who has showed his precocious ability at right back and in the middle, but the youngster is suspended after picking up a 5th yellow card at Chelsea. So we already have the inexperienced 19-year old right back Hector Bellerin likely to start on the right and now the Frenchman has a decision to make about whether to play Nacho Monreal or Isaac Hayden alongside Per Mertesacker.
Wenger has said of the Spaniard, ““He can do well there because he is intelligent, because he has a good sense of interception, because he reads the game well and is a good passer.”
But Monreal has hardly had any experience there and is only 5ft 10in and will be up against Hull’s tall strikers Jelavic and Hernandez. Hayden is 6ft 2in and is at least a specialist centre back and performed well in the League cup for us this season. Which would you start with Gooners?
Arsenal are supposed to compete with the big boys. How are we going to compete if we lost the battle before it even began? Whats this pathetic approuch from Wenger and the club.
A,B,C lessons for dumb people and Wenger, lol.
Before you sell, make sure to find a replacment.
Wrong- Selling Vermaelen.
Right- Get Kour Zouma from Chelseas nose and then sell Vermalen.
love how were ‘in crisis’ then its to face hull – lol
im quaking in my custom baby seal boots
With all due respect for your opinion, but aren’t you worried when the likes of Bellerin, Flamini, Mertesacker, Monreal face Hernandez, Diame, Ben Arfa and Livermore? I don’t think our back 5 (defenders + DM) is that much better than Hull’s rejuvinated frontlines iah.
Yeah ! I know they are just a small team who were 2-0 up in first fifteen minutes against our full team in F.A.Cup final(our only trophy in 9 Years).
Right.
Sorry am I missing something?
Is this the same Hull that led us 2-0 in the FA cup final for most of the game with a full strength midfield and back 4?
One of the stupidest things I have read, Steve Bruce is no fool and he will line up to exploit our weaknesses, he had our number in the FA cup until Wenger changed to 4-4-2.
Really people Wenger needs to go, this situation is ridiculous, our youth team covering in the PL because we don’t have any 1st team players left, Jesus H…
We should have got alderwield on loan or song
I would rather give him a rest next match (home match) and start with Hayden/Monreal … We cannot afford to lose Kos against Utd, Liverpool and Dortmound
Well why not hayden?? I dont see anything wrong in giving him a start ahead of nacho. We should promote youth.Hayden and bellerin does have maturity to excel at this level.
Yes I do agree, but knowing Wenger he will never start with youth unless he runs out of options.
It’s amazing rite. Man is reputed to bring through youth. Now he just doesn’t trust anyone but his favourites. I think he also has developed a fear of losing.imo.
At this juncture, i have stopped caring about the season. If i don’t, i might get a heart attack. I am Just going to enjoy the football.
ausgezeichnet, lool.
spend 50m and get verane….hes world class
and spend another 30m and get aurier for rb..
there u go problem solve…
but now we have to wait till Jan to do biz
varane for 50 mill?
ur buzzing off ur tiny titties
its already a bargain..considering an ageing Brazilian move to Paris for the same amount
man u cant use david luiz deal as a benchmark lol
that wasnt a deal- that was a bank robbery- burglary of the mona lisa- an abuse which requires review by scotland yard
varane 50 mill a bargain-lol
no defender is worth that-
No more drugs for you Hafiz. Sideshow Bob was madnes but that doesnt mean that this is going to happen ever again. He is worth 17m but Chelsea made it into 50m. Crazy.
With that money i would rather see us try going for Lucas Moura ( Genius). 35m. And the rest should be spend on a veteran Rb like Spehtan Lichtschteiner and Carl has to be called back in the club in january.
Laporte is just as good as varane and we could get him for 30m
I love how you make things sound so easy… It is actually quite scary!
and while you are at it spend a couple of billions more for ronaldo and messi
and then throw in a pound more for suarez
How could Wenger NOT foresee this when he didn’t get more defenders this summer. Everyone was screaming replace Vermaelen, 6 defenders for 4 positions are not enough, get a top DM. Now Wenger will say there is no need to worry, no need to panic, we have Flamini, Hayden
Tomorrow is the AGM (Annual General Meeting). The Arsenal Fan Trust and any shareholder with any sense needs to address following topics.
1. Why we haven’t spent more on defenders
2. Why Chelski, United, City have Top striker and we have decent striker.
3. Why Ozil are most expensive signing plays out of position
4. Why we haven’t got a top DM
5. What has Wenger been smoking?
You forget the sub points:
1 (a). When will Wenger be sacked?
2 (a). When will Wenger be sacked?
3 (a). When will Wenger be sacked?
4 (a). When will Wenger be sacked?
5 (a). Is that Wenger’s taxi?
At the beginning of the season, we had 8 defenders: 2 RB(debuchy & bellerin), 2 LB(gibbs & monreal), 4 CB(per, koscielny, chambers, hayden). This means we have a cover for every position at the back. I don’t understand why ppl r panicking n thinking we r in a crisis. Koscielny and chambers r out, so what? We still hv per n hayden.
Pple r furious that we didn’t get another well established CB as cover for per-koscieny. Really??! In what world does a “well established” CB willingly leave his team and join arsenal only to warm the bench? Isn’t that why vermaelen left in the first place? Its disappointing how some fans would mindlessly criticize wenger without even considering reality.
@Gunnerphyte
Next time dude, put that in caps so the ignorant don’t have an excuse for not understanding pure common sense.
Thank you for this…
Question is why would u say that anyone who comes in is third choice..E.g. Kostas Manolas is any day good enough to replace Mert as first choice. If you want to get a top defender, you have to give him the opportunity to bag the first team spot !
Wise up.
You don’t throw youth players in at the deep end against some of the best in the world (I am not talking about Hull, we have a long season and acute tendonitis is not something that will clear up easily) these kids may have to step up against Falcao, RVP, Rooney, Costa and co.
These kids should have been integrated into the team over time against lower table teams when a victory looked safe but instead Wenger ran players into the ground all season and the youth never got to gain any premier league experience.
If Chambers had been in the Arsenal academy he probably wouldn’t have seen a 1st team game yet.
@NY_Gunner do you want me to put that in capitals for you?
When I hear another of our players is injured it doesn’t shock or surprise me anymore! Time for the young guns to step up.
If its a crisis, Arsene Wenger is to blame for letting go of Vermaelen, Sagna and loaning out Jenkinson
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
WHOSE FAULT IS IT THAT WE ARE ON A MESS.
HE KNEW WELL AFTER HE SOLD VERM,HE SHOULD HAVE REPLACE HIM STRAIGHT AWAY.INSTEAD HE WOBBLE AROUND, AND KEPT SAYING NO PANIC,WE HAVE KIDS TO REPLACE.
TODAY ALL THE NEWSPAPERS ARE CRITICISING ARSENAL FOR THE EXORBITANT HIGH PRICE TICKET. HE SHOULD GIVE THE
SIXTY MILLIONS SITTING IN THE BANK TO THE SEASON HOLDERS.
OR REDUCE THE PRICE FOR ONE SEASON.
HE DOES CARE ABOUT OUR FEELING FOR THE CLUB.
AND IT WAS VERY EASY TO TAKE THREE MILLIONS AND PAID THE
FRIENDS OF KRONKE FOR SERVICES.
THEY ARE TREATING US LIKE A BIT OF SHIT.
SATURDAY WILL BE A DISASTER, HULL IS GOING TO TORMENT US.
AND STILL HE CAN’T SEE THE PROLEM,HE IS LIVING IN A COOKOO
LAND. MAY BE IT IS TIME FOR HIM TO GO BACK TO FRANCE.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON’T SEND HIM UPSTAIRS,HE WILL
INTERFERE AND DICTATE THE NEW MANAGER.
COMMON WENGER ,PACK YOUR BAG AND GO TO MONACO ENJOYING ALL THE MONEY WE HAVE PAID FOR THE HIGH PRICE
TICKETS,AND JUST ONE FA CUP IN TEN YEARS,AND SAVE YOURSELF FROM SHAME FOR NOT QUALIFYING FOR CL.