Upcoming international break is ‘gold dust’ for Arsenal’s squad by SE
There is something about injuries and Arsenal that keeps them together, always. One season after another, Arsenal seem to lose their most important players through injuries, and long term ones at that.
But one staunch reason behind such ‘misfortune’ has to be the number of games Arsenal have played so far, in comparison to their title rivals in Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool. What those injuries tell you is that Arsenal’s squad, despite being a huge one, doesn’t look sufficient for the number of games they play in a season.
Now, if Walcott, Ospina, Gibbs, Giroud and Arteta return to action, here’s how Arsenal’s 18-man team sheet could look like:
Starting XI – Szczesny, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta, Wilshere, Ramsey, Ozil, Sanchez and Walcott.
Bench – Ospina, Monreal, Giroud, Chamberlain, Chambers, Cazorla and Sanogo.
That team sheet is chock-a-block with quality, and other enviable attributes a manager could ask for. And mind you, Podolski and Flamini don’t even have places on the bench. So the conclusion is that Arsenal have a terrific squad but, due to injuries, it doesn’t quite look like one, for now.
Coming to the international break, it is ‘gold dust’ for an Arsenal squad handicapped by injuries to the crest of the team. The reason is because the non-injured players have had a huge work load themselves, and the fortnight-long break couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time. Conversely, some of the injury casualties in Gibbs, Arteta and, even Walcott, could find themselves sporadically ‘match fit’ come September 13th, the day on which Arsenal take on the English champions at the Emirates.
Once the upcoming international break culminates, Arsenal will have to hit their strides, as they can’t be on a trial all season long. In addition to the aforementioned home fixture against Man City, Arsenal face a fixture pileup that sees them play 7 games during a 3-week period, which includes an away tie against Dortmund in the Champions League; with Man City, Spurs and Chelsea to take care of, in the Premier League.
International break will be of huge help for the kind of circumstances Arsenal’s squad finds itself in. However, once the fortnight-long break culminates, things don’t get any easier for the North Londoners.
Bottom Line: Embrace!