I know that I keep going on about this but it is really starting to annoy me now. Arsene Wenger keeps banging on about how Arsenal have 25 players in the squad and every single one is important to our attempt to win the Premier League, but when he actually NEEDS to rotate he simply doesn’t do it!
I thought he started quite promisingly back in December when we played West Ham on a Saturday, then on the Tuesday after when we played Basel he made 7 changes. We won the game 4-1 and I thought “well done Arsene”. But the following week we beat Stoke on the Saturday, but when we had to go to Everton on the Tuesday, Le Prof only made ONE change and we lost.
I would have thought that would have made it obvious that rotation was the way forward, especially with the talent in the squad, but no, yesterday was just two days after our win against Palace, Wenger only made 3 changes, and one of those was forced as Elneny was off to the ACN. Now I have read this morning that Le Prof even risked playing injured players in yesterday’s game. He was quoted as saying in the Independent: “It was a physical test and a mental test,”
“Congratulations to them but, as well, it is too uneven to have only two days to play against a team who had over three days of rest.
“Hector Bellerin had a knock, was uncertain to play, that is the problem when you had 48 hours. We had three or four players who we had to wait on till the warm-up.
“Koscielny, Gabriel, I did not start Oxlade-Chamberlain as I could not take a gamble with him. It complicates the job a lot but we have to shut up and cope with it.
“Koscielny was tired and had cramps in both legs, that is why I took him off.
“I’m ready to play again tomorrow as long as I play against an opponent who played today as well.
“That is what I call fair. All the rest, we have to play when we are told to play. We want to play against a team with the same time of rest and preparation as us.”
Is it fair that Arsenal have 25 quality players to choose from? Against Eddie Howe’s squad of unknowns? Yes Bournemouth had three days to recover, but as Howe said after the game: “I’m not going to deny that will have had an impact on the game but that’s why you change the squad,” he said.
THAT IS WHY YOU CHANGE THE SQUAD! Get a grip Arsene. Stop moaning and start making use of ALL your players!
Darren N