Arsenal are world famous for having long lists of injured players at crucial points of the season, and we have had quite a few since the beginning of this campaign. Our overall squad depth has allowed us to cope with this and get a winning run going, albeit against some lesser lights in the footballing world, but it now looks like Wenger will have a stronger choice of players by the end of this international break.
We all know we are unlikely to see Santi Cazorla back until after the New Year (if ever), but there are quite a few returning stars coming back into the lineup. First of all we have Mesut Ozil nearly back to full fitness and should be available for Watford next week after posting an optimistic post on Instagram.
We have all watched Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka cement their midfield partnership lately, but Wenger will also have Francis Coquelin back in contention after his small hamstring problem.
Another healthy addition will be the return of Danny Welbeck, who got off to a great start to the season before sustaining a groin strain against Chelsea. Lets hope he is quickly back to his best.
We also lost Laurent Koscielny to his ongoing Achilles problems, but he is usually fine after a few weeks rest and should also be back next week. The only other one out is Calum Chambers, but he is also forecast to return next week. Wenger forecast before the West Brom game: “Calum Chambers came off [against Doncaster] and will now be out until after the international break. He has a little recurrence of his hip problem.”
So all very good news for Wenger as the Gunners set to continue their winning run and aim to make up the small six point gap to the top of the table. With all these Europa League games coming up we will have to make full use of our extensive squad, and it looks like we are going to go forward with a full complement for Wenger to choose from.
Onwards and upwards!
Adminm