Arsene Wenger was giving a little update on the Arsenal injury situation today when he also admitted that the Gunners are currently suffering from a bit of fatigue and have been recently. Without naming names, the Frenchman hinted that his team selection for the weekend Premier League clash with West Ham could be affected by this.
But in the statement reported by Arsenal.com it sounded to me like the manager was really preparing the Arsenal fans to see him field a much changed and weakened Arsenal team in the following game, our trip to Monaco to attempt to put right that horrendous defeat in the Champions League first leg.
When asked whether the game on Tuesday would affect his team selection this weekend, Wenger replied, “No. We were at a high level of fatigue because we played against Monaco, Everton, QPR, Manchester United, all very physical games. I will have to test medically, physically, how the players are on Friday, and I will make my decision then. The big priority is of course West Ham.”
The injury situation could also affect Wenger´s decisions and I think he will use the Monaco game to bring back the likes of Jack Wilshere, Mathieu Flamini and Theo Walcott and perhaps give Danny Welbeck another start in the centre forward role. I would not be surprised to see these two different line-ups on Saturday and Tuesday:
West Ham. Monaco.
Ospina Szczesny
Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs
Coquelin Flamini
Ozil, Ramsey, Cazorla, Alexis Walcott, Wilshere, Rosicky, Akpom
Giroud Welbeck
Wenger could even bring in a central defender like Hayes or Ajayi from the academy. It is good that Arsenal have a big enough squad to do this, but would it be the right move for us?