I am sure that Arsene Wenger would have liked to be able to ease the Arsenal and Wales international star Aaron Ramsey back into the Gunners side, perhaps with a run out as a sub tomorrow night against QPR and then again at Old Trafford in the FA cup on Monday night.
Ramsey’s previous return from injury lasted just nine minutes, as he came on as a sub late on against Leicester and then had to be replaced himself shortly afterwards. Not ideal and so there is bound to be some concern in Wenger’s mind.
But the Frenchman declared today that the Welsh midfielder was back in the squad so if he is fit enough for that, he should be fit enough to play and Arsenal really do not have much of an option. And the boss dropped a little hint at the end of his press conference, available on Arsenal Player, that the medical staff had got to the bottom of the recurring problem. Wenger also revealed in his pre-match press conference that Mathieu Flamini was still a couple of games away.
At least the Gunners will be able to play Coquelin although the young Frenchman will have to wear a protective mask to cover his broken nose. But I cannot see Wenger continuing to use Santi Cazorla in the box-to-box role as he looks badly in need of a rest and will be needed against Man United in six days.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain showed his inexperience and lack of defensive discipline again in the Monaco defeat. Young Bielik is not ready, so the only other option for Arsenal is Tomas Rosicky and really he is a forward thinking midfielder like the Ox. Does Wenger have any choice but to risk playing Ramsey?