More Injury Woe For Arsenal

Premier League leaders Arsenal have lost another two players to injury at a crucial time of the season.

Abou Diaby injured his calf in Tuesday's 2-0 Champions League victory in Milan and will miss this weekend's trip to Wigan. The Frenchman, who only recently returned from a long injury picked up on international duty, is not expected to be out for too long.

Theo Walcott has also picked up a thigh injury while playing in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Colorado Rapids. The England youngster, who has been growing in stature in recent games, will also miss the Wigan match, although his recovery should also not take too long.

"From Tuesday night we lost Abou Diaby," Arsene Wenger told Arsenal TV Online. "He has got a problem on his calf. Today we also lost Theo Walcott. He played against Colorado Rapids and he got a little thigh problem."

Robin van Persie also featured in the game against the Rapids, playing 60 minutes and coming through unscathed. The injury-prone striker is not expected to start against Wigan, although he is likely to make an appearance from the bench.

African duo Kolo Toure and Alex Song could also feature against Wigan, although it appears unlikely following Wenger's comments on ATVO.

The Arsenal boss said: "Robin played an hour and he looks OK. But it looks early for him – he finished the game very tired today so I will have to analyse that. We have a little chance to get Kolo back in the squad and a little, little chance to get Song back."

In other news, Tomas Rosicky is still more than a week away from a recovery. The Czech Republic star is expected to return in 10 or 12 days. Wenger will be hoping that the 27-year-old will be available in time for the Gunners game against Chelsea on March 23.

Wigan vs. Arsenal: Match Preview

Arsenal travel to the JJB Stadium this Sunday to face off against relegation-threatened Wigan. Steve Bruce's Latics, who are currently 14th in the Premier League, would consider any point(s) taken from their clash against the league leaders a good haul, but will face an uphill battle against the impressive Gunners. Arsenal currently sit at the top of the Premier League table, one point ahead of last season's champions, Manchester United.

Wigan are on a run of decent home form, having won their last two home games against West Ham and whipping boys Derby, after losing 2-1 to Everton and Chelsea. The Latics also held Manchester City to a goalless draw last week, although they lost to Sunderland last month.

Arsenal's recent league form is nothing spectacular, with draws against Aston Villa and Birmingham narrowing the Gunners' buffer at the top of the table to a solitary point. The Gunners have won only one of their last five games, defeating AC Milan midweek after drawing with Birmingham, Villa, and Milan, and losing to Manchester United in the FA Cup.

The Gunners will be high on morale after defeating European champions Milan in the Champions League, becoming the first English side to defeat the Italian giants at the San Siro in European competition. An impressive showing from all of Arsenal's young stars in Italy was capped by a superb solo goal from Cesc Fabregas and a stoppage-time second from Emmanuel Adebayor.

The Arsenal squad will also be boosted by the returns of Robin van Persie, Tomas Rosicky, and Kolo Toure; all of whom could feature against Wigan. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will still be without Johan Djourou, Alex Song, and Eduardo.

Only two Wigan players, Ryan Taylor and Erik Hagen, are injury doubts, although both could feature against the mighty Gunners.

Manuel Almunia will start in goal for the Gunners behind a fairly solid back four of Bacary Sagna, William Gallas, Philippe Senderos, and Gael Clichy. Although Kolo Toure may be fit in time for the clash, Wenger is unlikely to risk starting the Ivorian against team with as little goalscoring threat as Wigan.

Mathieu Flamini, Cesc Fabregas, and Alex Hleb are all likely to start in midfield although the final spot (or two spots, depending on Wenger's formation) is less easy to decide. Emmanuel Eboue or Theo Walcott could be played on the right or left wings respectively, with Alex Hleb playing as a second striker behind Emmanuel Adebayor. Alternatively, Tomas Rosicky, if fully fit, could feature in place of either Walcott or Eboue.

If Robin van Persie is fit, Arsene Wenger will likely play his team in a 4-4-2 leaving out either Eboue or Walcott and moving Hleb out to one of the wings. Van Persie is unlikely to start, though, as he is most likely not yet match fit. Emmanuel Adebayor is a sure starter up front, and Wenger may even play him alongside Nicklas Bendtner against a Wigan squad which lacks in firepower.

Arsenal defeated Wigan 2-0 earlier in the season, and should do even better this time around. Full of confidence, the Gunners will be expected to rout the Latics. I predict a 3-0 win for the visitors.

Tottenham Eat Veggies To Plug Leaky Defense

Anyone who read the papers over the summer knew the outcome of this Premier League season.

Derby were to be relegated along with two of your choices out of Fulham, Middlesbrough, Wigan, Sunderland or Birmingham. Manchester United were to pip the title with Liverpool and Chelsea fighting for second.

Dishearteningly to Arsenal fans, Tottenham were to take fourth, claiming England's final Champions League spot and relegating the Gunners to the UEFA Cup if they could beat off teams like Newcastle, Aston Villa, and Manchester City.

That tells you how much the pundits know.

After beating Wigan last weekend Arsenal are now three points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a game in hand against their nearest rivals, Manchester United. Chelsea and Liverpool are in fourth and fifth respectively, both behind Manchester City.

And Tottenham?

They've peaked at fourteenth. After spending much of the early season in the relegation zone, new boss Juande Ramos has brought them within one point of Fulham and Reading. It's not quite the season Spurs fans had envisioned.

The poor Tottenham defense has conceded 25 goals in 14 games, more than any other team in the Premiership other than Reading, Wigan, Middlesbrough, and Derby.

In fact, Tottenham have kept only five clean sheets in 20 games this season, holding ground only against the impressive opposition of Derby, Middlesbrough, Wigan, Blackpool, and Hapoel Tel-Aviv.

Perhaps best of all for Arsenal fans, Spurs kept up their losing streak against our brilliant young Gunners with a 1-3 loss to Arsenal at White Heart Lane.

You would think that the solution to Tottenhams problems would be to sell £16.5 million signing Darren Bent and go buy some defenders, a decent midfielder, and spend the rest on anybody they could pick up off the streets to replace Paul Robinson.

Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy didn't hire Juande Ramos to come up with conventional solutions though, and it seems that the board's trust is about to be repaid.

The former Sevilla manager (who has already had the experience of losing to Arsene Wenger's side at his old club) has come up with a brilliant solution to Tottenham's problems: vegetables.

That's right. Spurs will be implementing the newest form of team bonding, the diet.

Antonio Escribano has been hired by Tottenham to help enforce the diet, which is meant to improve the player's fitness levels.

I guess the diet isn't too bad of an idea either. I wouldn't mind seeing Tom Huddlestone take up a little less room on the pitch.

So what do you think, is Tottenham a football club or a cheerleading outfit?

Arsenal vs Wigan: Match Review

Match Preview

An undermanned Arsenal side managed to break down a resolute Wigan in the last ten minutes to go clear at the top of the Premier League table as Manchester United faltered at Bolton.

Wigan showed some real character in their compact defense, but a goal from William Gallas opened the game up in the 83rd minute and Tomas Rosicky insured the win with a second only two minutes later.

Lineups:
Arsenal: Manuel Almunia; Bacary Sagna, William Gallas, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy; Emmanuel Eboue, Neves Denilson, Lassana Diarra, Tomas Rosicky; Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor

Wigan: Michael Pollitt; Emerson Boyce, Titus Bramble, Andreas Granqvist, Salomon Olembe, Paul Scharner; Kevin Kilbane, Michael Brown, Jason Koumas, Denny Landzaat; Marcus Bent

Arsene Wenger was forced to field a makeshift midfield lineup due to injuries to Alex Hleb, Mathieu Flamini, and Abou Diaby. Gilberto was also out due to fatigue, and Cesc Fabregas missed the match due to suspension after picking up his 5th yellow card of the season against Reading. Theo Walcott started alongside Emmanuel Adebayor as Robin van Persie was still not fit to play, although the Dutch international has returned to training.

Both sides started brightly, with Theo Walcott warning Wigan of his talent with some mazy runs into Latics territory.

Wigan had the first clear-cut chance of the match though, as Marcus Bent fired past Manuel Almunia before being correctly flagged offsides.

Arsenal were having a tough time finding their usual passing rhythm without Fabregas and Hleb, but the showed some of their style in a fine exchange of passes after about 20 minutes of play. The move resulted in a through ball from Theo Walcott to Emmanuel Adebayor near the penalty spot. The Togo striker drilled in a shot, but a fine reaction save from Michael Pollitt, who was already a few yards off his line, kept Wigan level with the Gunners.

In the 36th minute Arsenal had another great chance, as some unselfish play from Adebayor set up the dangerous Walcott who saw his shot blocked by a last-ditch tackle from Salomon Olembe.

It was close, but not enough, and Arsenal began to get frustrated as a wall of eleven Wigan defenders stopped the Gunners' free flowing football.

Just after the hour mark Emmanuel Adebayor was released in the box, only for Emerson Boyce to make a beautifully timed tackle to deny the lanky forward a shot.

Wigan then had a rare chance as a mix-up between Kolo Toure and William Gallas saw the ball fall to Marcus Bent just outside Arsenal's 18 yard box. Unfortunately for the Latics, Bent's shot went wide of the post.

It was Arsenal's chance again, as a free-kick from Denilson was nearly deflected into Pollitt's net at the other end of the pitch. The Wigan keeper showed some fine reactions to keep the ball out at his near post.

Denilson and Bent were in the center of the action again as the Brazilian suffered a bad tackle from the Wigan striker. Tempers flared and William Gallas got involved with substitute Emile Heskey, resulting in yellow cards for the Arsenal captain and both of the involved Wigan players.

It wasn't the last bad tackle though, as a sliding tackle from Bent crumpled Theo Walcott, who was stretchered off as Nicklas Bendtner came on.

As if in response to the reckless tackles, Arsenal went on a sudden and ferocious offensive, finally breaking down the Wigan defense.

A wonderfully placed cross from Bacary Sagna met countryman William Gallas who headed in at the near post.

The goal opened up the game for the final few minutes, but Arsenal were finally assured a victory when Tomas Rosicky grabbed a second. Substitute Nicklas Bendtner fed the Czech Republic captain on the edge of the box. Rosicky finished well, firing in with a low shot off of Pollitt's left post.

It was a great day for Arsenal as they lengthened their lead on last season's champions Manchester United to three points.

Arsenal vs. Wigan: Match Preview

Match Review

This Saturday a depleted Arsenal side face off against second from bottom Wigan as the Gunners look to retain the top spot in the Premier League.

After three straight draws (against Liverpool, Manchester United, and Slavia Prague), the Gunners were just beginning to regain their form with an emphatic 3-1 victory over Reading before the international break.

However, the international games didn't do much good for the Gunners, as Mathieu Flamini, Abou Diaby, and Alex Hleb all picked up injuries.

There are no injuries in the defense, with Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, and Gael Clichy all fit and ready to play.

However, with Cesc Fabregas already suspended for the match, it seems that Arsenal are facing what seemed impossible - something of a midfield crisis.

Tomas Rosicky looks sure to start, although he may be pushed out onto the left with Emmanuel Eboue patrolling the right. Otherwise, Rosicky could start on the right with Eduardo or Theo Walcott used as a left winger.

It is more difficult, though, to choose players for the central midfield positions. Arsene Wenger has ruled Gilberto out since he doesn't get back from international duty with Brazil until Friday evening, and Fabregas, Flamini, and Diaby are all unavailable. Neves Denilson and Lassana Diarra are likely to start in a light midfield due to a very strange injury crisis.

Up front, Arsenal will not see the return of Robin van Persie. The Dutchman, who was expected to return against Wigan, will not be fit for the weekend nor for the midweek Champions League game against Sevilla. Emmanuel Adebayor will, of course, start up front, but he needs a partner, as the midfield crisis will eliminate the chance of playing a 4-5-1. Personally I would choose Nicklas Bendtner, but Theo Walcott or Eduardo could start as well.

Wenger has stated that he won't play Bendtner with Adebayor, but the young Dane scored two goals in two games for his country over the international break and will be brimming with confidence.

The team itself should be brimming with confidence as well, as a Wigan side that has lost its last seven games and not won in ten shouldn't trouble a light Arsenal team too much.

I say 2-0 to the Arsenal.

More Injury Woes for Wenger

Arsene Wenger said before the international break that he feared that the international break might result in injuries to key members of his Arsenal squad, and he couldn't have been more right.

We learned that Mathieu Flamini and Abou Diaby had been hurt during their international matches for France and the French U21 team respectively, after Saturday's matches.

Today, more bad news came, as Alex Hleb hobbled out of his country's game at half time and although Belarus went on beat the Netherlands 2-1, he looks to be out for two weeks.

This means that Wenger will be unable to start three of his four first choice midfielders against Wigan on Saturday, with Cesc Fabregas out due to suspension. Lassana Diarra, Neves Denilson, and Gilberto should all get a chance to break back into the side.

In other news, Robin van Persie's recovery is coming along nicely and he has returned to training. He may not start at Wigan but he will most likely feature at some point during the match.

As for the other international matches, Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner scored Denmark's first goal in a victory over Iceland.

Eduardo's Croatia also defeated an England side which once again fielded no Arsenal players. The 3-2 victory meant that England did not qualify for the 2008 European Championships - a huge blow for such a powerful footballing nation.

Internationals come at the worst time for Arsenal

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger fears that the international break this week may result in injuries for his high-flying Gunners.

The break comes at the worst of times for Arsenal who are just beginning to reclaim their form after beating Reading 3-1 at the Madejski, after drawing three times in a row.

Now, however, Arsenal will have to wait until November 24th to play their next game, a home game against Wigan. With Cesc Fabregas suspended, but Robin van Persie looking to return, Arsene Wenger will be hoping not to pick up any injuries during the week's internationals.

"We wanted to get back in charge of this league. We have a game in hand, and so at the moment it is going well," said Wenger.

"Now everybody goes on a break and then we play Wigan at home.

"The international program of the players is quite heavy for some of them.

"We lost Fabregas with suspension now for Wigan, so let's hope everybody comes back without injury because we lost van Persie during the last break and he still has not played yet."

The Arsenal boss refused to comment on his team's title chances, but did speak about the squad's strong bond.

"Let's see how far we can go," said the manager.

"At the moment, this team is a pleasure to work with on a daily basis.

"They have a fantastic attitude every day in training. They are hungry, they want to improve always.

"There is a great bonding in the team and when you have these ingredients plus the talents we have, you can be very hopeful for the future."

Fabregas suspension planned in advance

Arsenal wrapped up a 3-1 victory at Reading yesterday on a bit of a sour note.

Cesc Fabregas, undoubtedly Arsenal's most influential player this season, was booked for the fifth time this season, resulting in a one match suspension.

Could it have been done on purpose?

To answer that question we should look at Arsenal's next few Premiership fixtures:

11/24 vs Wigan
12/1 @ Aston Villa
12/5 @ Newcastle
12/9 @ Middlesbrough
12/16 vs Chelsea
12/22 vs Tottenham
12/26 @ Portsmouth
12/29 @ Everton
1/1 vs West Ham

Of these eight fixtures, one stands out as by far the easiest: at home to Wigan. Of the remaining seven, only three are home fixtures (Chelsea and West Ham are nothing to laugh at), and only three (Newcastle, Middlesbrough, and Tottenham) are against bottom half teams. Of those three teams, Middlesbrough is the only team likely to face a relegation battle this season, with Newcastle and Tottenham both looking to challenge for European spots.

As a midfielder on four yellows, Fabregas was likely to get suspended eventually, and there would be no better game to lose him for than Wigan.

But would Fabregas stoop so low as to purposely get suspended?

The manner in which the yellow card occurred would lead me to venture a guess that he would.

My first reaction to the yellow was disappointment - how could our midfield maestro be so immature?

Truth be told, it may have just been another brilliant execution by Cesc Fabregas.

The midfielder held onto Fae's shirt for a good couple of seconds, so blatantly that even a blind refferree would be forced to book him. Nobody expects to get away with that.

Still, though, I was unsure.

The look on the player's face said it all though. No disappointment, no real argument... he had done it on purpose.

All he did was earn himself a well-deserved break...

Senderos and van Persie boost for Gunners

Arsenal's leading goalscorer last season Robin van Persie should return to fitness in time for the Gunner's match against Wigan on November 24th. Philippe Senderos, an Arsenal center-back, should also be back in time for the match, although he is unlikely to start ahead of the likes of William Gallas and Kolo Toure.

Van Persie's return is a great boost for the Gunners, as we have lacked a confident striker in the past few matches, despite Emmanuel Adebayor's early brilliance this season.

The Togo international was guilty of missing lots of chances against both Liverpool and Manchester United, and could have - but didn't - score the winner in the 0-0 game against Slavia Prague on Wednesday after having been brought on as a substitute.

The lanky African has formed an impressive striking partnership with Robin van Persie though, and the Dutchman's return should spark a return to goalscoring for both of the strikers.

Unfortunately for Theo Walcott, Nicklas Bendtner, and Eduardo, the return of Arsene WEnger's first-choice striker should mean that Arsenal's other strikers will get fewer chances in upcoming months.

They will still have a chance to prove themselves against Reading though, in what should be the last game before van Persie returns. No performance would see one of the players replace van Persie, but if any of the three are able to significantly impact the game they might be in for some playing time coming off the subsitute's bench.