Black Eyes Here We Come

Blackburn this evening and the for the ‘Colts’ side to turn out en masse, I suspect, given the proximity of Sunday’s clash. There are a smattering of first teamers in the squad but it seems unlikely that any who started would be recovered. Except of course, for the Six Million Dollar Man, William Gallas, who has been named in the squad in this mornings Guardian.

If he plays, it is a tough call for him. Sunday was not a routine Premier League fixture, it was a gruelling affair for those on the pitch for the full ninety minutes which would make his inclusion understandable but a risky venture nonetheless with the number of games coming up in the next three weeks which is why I think the report is a red herring.

Sky Sports News also reports this morning that Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott are set to start this evening. The latter is no surprise, if fit, whilst the former to me would be better suited to a substitute appearance although his inclusion makes the 4-5-1 formation that will be employed a little more workable.

Mark Hughes has been complaining in the Press – a sure sign he will be Ferguson’s replacement when the Scot eventually retires – about how others, i.e. Arsene, try to influence officials ahead of matches against his thugs, sorry, charges.

There always seems to be a tone leading into games against Arsenal, where people tend to highlight our misdemeanours and how we approach the game…Certainly in the past, some clubs have put comments out leading into games against us in an effort to influence the referees. It’s a touch of the dark arts, I suppose. But Arsenal’s players have been banging the drum about how they can cope with the physical side of the game this year, so they know that it is part and parcel of the game

Right. So criminal assaults such as the one Andy Todd perpetuated in Cardiff, are ‘part and parcel of the game’. This morning’s brain teaser is to re-arrange the word ‘part’ to find my opinion of Hughes.

It is without doubt a tough tie. However, it will be a good learning experience for the youngsters who have gained experience in such ties over the past two seasons. I would suggest that the team for tonight will be something like,

Fabianksi; J Hoyte, Senderos, Song, Traoré; Walcott, Diarra, Gilberto, Diaby; van Persie, Bendtner

With a bench of

Mannone, G Hoyte, Denilson, Eduardo, Bazarite

Possible changes to that might be the inclusion of Gilberto at centre half or the relegation of Diarra to the bench, Denilson moving into the centre. Diarra is certainly not flavour of the month. If translations of his comments to L’Equipe at the weekend are correct, it seems his elevation to the French National Team is swaying his thinking. Having joined the club two weeks into the season and not being used to the style of play, the logical thought process would be to believe that it might take six months not six days to earn a place in starting line-up. He had a chance to make it difficult for Arsene to drop him in Flamini’s absence but did not make a strong enough case in a weakened team. He should learn from that; instead the toys came out of the pram at a rapid rate of knots and he has earned himself some deserved derision. Whether he stays or not is for Arsene to decide but comparing his behaviour with that of Eduardo, is like that of chalk and cheese. One is professional and one is not. The Croat understands Arsene’s thinking and whilst he may not agree with it, he is prepared to work to change his mind.

Diarra would be better served by following the example of Flamini. Despite seeming to be on his way out of the club, he has fought back to earn and keep a place in the side. Reports in The Times <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/arsenal/article3063268.ece&gt; suggest he has been offered a £40k per week deal but understandably he is taking his time on agreeing to it,

I have been talking a bit with the club. I am happy here, but I am a free agent in January. We have so many games in December, so it is very difficult to be concentrated on this kind of thing as we are playing every three days.I am just focused on every game and for the contract, we will see a bit later

Which is fair enough, given that the club were prepared to let him go in the Summer. At that time, you would have struggled to find anyone who believed Flamini would be as important to the team as he clearly is now.

Enjoy the game wherever you watch it. ’til Tomorrow.