Arsenal Hit Six. Only Six? Slackers.

Champions League Group H
Arsenal 6 – 0 SC Braga

1 – 0 Fabregas (pen 9)
2 – 0 Arshavin (23)
3 – 0 Chamakh (29)
4 – 0 Fabregas (53)
5 – 0 Vela (69)
6 – 0 Vela (84)

A record-breaking night for Arsenal, following hot on the heels of Tottenham’s equally impressive evening on Tuesday. Still, I am sure that ‘Appy ‘Arry is more than satisfied with his charges being the first English team to drop a two-goal lead. It’s all about ambition.

Sporting Braga are derided for putting in a poor performance; there was an element of that but to dwell on this aspect diminshes from the professionalism shown by the Arsenal players. From the kick-off, Arsenal set about their opponents, determined to seal victory. The points were won at a canter, expressive individualism combined majestically with expansive passing, the ball slicing through the Braga midfield and defence with the ease of the sharpest knife through the rarest of Sunday roasts. One can never tire of watching such performances, no matter how commonplace they become.

The starting XI contained but one surprise, Jack Wilshere preferred to Denilson, indicative of the attacking verve demanded by the manager. His ambition was rewarded with an excellent performance by the youngster, partnering Alex Song in a more central and deeper lying role than is normally expected at this stage of a fledgling career. Yet this did not stem his attacking verve, his movement off the ball shaming many older than himself.

The formation allowed Cesc Fabregas more freedom on the pitch, supporting Chamakh in attack, the duo played in tandem and holding a tight formation throughout the evening. The captain richly deserved his brace of goals, perhaps disappointed to have not finished with more, unselfishly declining a late opportunity for himself, instead creating Carlos Vela’s late finish.

Fabregas’ display brought forth praise from his manager, post match:

He has taken on another dimension…He is a fantastic influence and it is important that he leads this team to winning and I believe it is a fantastic opportunity for the young players who play alongside him to improve as well…I like that he gave the ball to Vela instead of trying alone. That reflects the way we want to play the game and it reflects the real attitude of a leader. He does what the game wants and is not selfish.

Wenger’s praise is richly deserved for an outstanding return to form in recent days. Equally deserving of commendation is Marouane Chamakh. He pulled the defence out of position, signalled his availability for any colleague to pass to, no matter how close the Portuguese side’s attention and crucially, I cannot recall a time when he lost possession cheaply. Many summers have been shorn of their glory since such a ‘traditional’ strikers performance was seen in an Arsenal shirt.

Within minutes of the start of the match, it was clear that Arsenal would not broker anything other than a win. Two early penalty appeals emerged from hoarse throats, plainitive looks dismissed by the officials. But if you knock on that door often enough, mistakes happen. Fabregas found Chamakh free in the area and as the Moroccan rounded Felipe, the goalkeeper tripped him. Fabregas drilled home his first Arsenal goal since Barcelona in this competition. Wilshere might have been the opener goalscorer moments earlier, flagged offside to spare his blushes as his dinked shot edged the wrong side of the post. He might have doubled the lead shortly after the opener, Fabregas’ deft header let the youngster shoot, Felipe blocking well.

Disconcertingly for Braga, Arsenal were not in full flight but still utterly dominant. Their reward would come as the first half reached its midpoint. Nasri was flagged offside but the referee allowed play to continue, Braga in possession. The clearance was poor and quickly snaffled by Song in the midfield. The ball was worked through to Fabregas who, with a hop, skip and jump, found himself at the edge of the area, fed an unmarked Arshavin, who drilled home from ten yards.

As delightful as the football for the second was, the third was mesmeric. Fabregas and Wilshere wove patterns through the Braga midfield, Sagna’s cross headed clear to the captain, retaining possession and keeping pressure on the visitors. He fed Chamkh on the edge of the area, the Moroccan gratefully received Wilshere’s delightful backheel, passing the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net. Just reward for a sumptuous performance.

The interval brought no respite. Eight minutes into the second half, Song fed Fabregas, his attempted one-two with Chamakh rebounding to the edge of the area where the Spaniard’s forward run allowed him to smuggle possession wide to Arshavin. The Russian’s cross was inch perfect, his captain providing the straightforward header to set the goals flowing once more.

Would Fabregas seal his third to cap a wonderful individual performance. It was surely a matter of time. Arshavin freed the Spaniard whose effort was sufficiently deflected by Felipe, Moises hooking the ball clear close to his own net. The Russian then went closer, drilling the ball across goal, rattling the woodwork before Braga cleared. The rotation of the squad with a comfortable lead in hand was not going to be an excuse for any easing of pressure.

Braga were then treated to a move which rivalled that of the weekend drubbing of Bolton. Passing simply, the ball went along the back four and returned to the centre, Fabregas and Wilshere moved around the midfield and forwards, Arshavin on the left scampered into the area, Vela lifted the ball gently into the net for the fifth. Truly scrumptious.

As intricate as the fifth was, simplicity was the key to the sixth. Fabregas chased a long pass, Felipe’s clearance was returned with interest as the cushioned header into the path of Vela who calmly slid the ball home at the near post.

Throughout the team there were excellent displays. To pick holes in performances on such evenings is churlish, to ignore mistakes, naive. The ease with which Arsenal controlled the match was due to hard work from Almunia to Chamakh. The team’s improved defensive awareness is showing more with every match.

Clichy knows he was let off the hook before Braga were put to the sword, an error which may have been more costly in another match. Yet defensively he is continuing to improve, regaining the form he displayed before injuries interrupted his progress. Squillaci and Koscielny both had comfortable evenings, intercepting and distributing well. Sagna provided good width on the right and is reaping tangible rewards for his efforts on the training pitch, his crossing consistently better than before.

This day is one to reflect positively on the performance. ’til Tomorrow.

Braga Preview: Arsene Hopes For A Sporting Encounter

It is only six miles to Wembley. But unfortunately it is a long way!

Sporting Braga arrive at The Emirates this evening as Arsenal look to show their English counterparts how to win a match in this season’s Champions League. Manchester United were criticised for rotating their squad last night and paid the price as an obdurate Rangers side took a share of the points. Wenger is likely to use to rotate as well but bringing back Thomas Vermaelen and Abou Diaby is not an option, the Belgian may return for Sunderland whilst the French international is out for at least two more games.

Little wonder following the tackle which injured Diaby that Arsene had plenty to offer on the subject of refereeing in European ties:

It’s not superior to English refereeing – it’s different. I would say even the English referees are different when they have matches in Europe. There is less permissive on goalkeepers, on commitment.

He clarified his inference about the English game:

The one restriction has to be full commitment with the intention of going for the ball and only for the ball. Then, I prefer English football ten times as much to the European game. The English game becomes dangerous when the players go to hurt each other. You need intention aligned with the type of game you play in England.

The differences between the various domestic leagues around the continent has led to wide gaps in the interpretations of the rules, not always beneficial to the game. However, a foul under the Laws of the Game is a foul irrespective of the language of football. Interpreting those actions is subjective to an extent and depends upon the spirit of the national game.

It also leads to inconsistencies in decision-making by the officials, a global problem which is seen week in, week out in any league in any country. This aspect is the most infuriating but with human beings involved, leads to fouls being called in one match that are waved away the following week. Do the cards shown previously in a game influence officials?

They deny this but there seems little other plausible explanation for failing to penalise properly when a red card has already been brandished. Reducing a team to nine is still unusual yet last weekend, Bolton could quite easily have been down to eight whilst Arsenal should have seen Gibbs in the changing room for two yellow cards. If officials were more consistent in their decisions, much of the criticism would disappear. Until that happens, the referee will nine times out ten, be subjected to a welter of comments that a red should only have been a yellow, etc. Thankfully, the FA saw the light with Bolton’s appeal against Cahill’s dismissal although how they deemed it not to be spurious is open to question.

Back to this evening. Braga arrive having finished runners-up in Portugal last season and have accounted for Celtic and Sevilla so far in the qualifying. Whilst the former are no European powerhouse, the latter are a good side suggesting that the Portuguese should not be taken lightly. Yet the expectation is of a comfortable home win; Braga have drawn and lost their two domestic away fixtures whilst losing at Parkhead as well.

Whilst the squad was maturing and learning their trade in the past three seasons, rarely have they been troubled at home in the group phases of this competition. Tonight should be no different but Wenger will have half an eye on the trip to Sunderland at the weekend. Denilson’s return suits him with Diaby’s absence and it would be a surprise if he did not return to occupy one of the midfield berths. Equally, Nasri’s recovery allows Wenger to rest Rosicky for the start at least. Both Nasri and Denilson could do with decent outings tonight ahead of the upcoming matches. In defence, I would expect both Sagna and Clichy to return.

The line-up I would expect to see is:

Almunia; Sagna, Koscielny, Squillaci, Clichy; Fabregas, Song, Denilson; Nasri, Chamakh, Arshavin

Eboue could start ahead of Nasri which would allow rotation of Arshavin in the second half, keeping him fresh for the weekend. That said, Wenger observed that he does not prioritise the Champions or Premier League fixtures ahead of each other but at least he has options despite a growing injury list.

Whatever team plays, it is hard to see beyond an Arsenal win tonight, no matter what opinions the visitors may hold. A good start to the competition helps in the latter matches, assuring progress quickly allows for exactly the prioritisation that Wenger denies.

Enjoy the match wherever you are watching it. ’til Tomorrow.

All’s Well But Will It Manuel & European Nightmares

Manuel Almunia received the backing of his captain yesterday, encouraging him for the season ahead:

Manuel commanded the defence very well at Blackburn – but it is not just about one game or two or three. He is well-loved player among everybody here and performs well for this club. We all wish him a super season and have a lot of trust.

You would expect nothing less than support from the squad since that is the ethos that Wenger encourages: win as a team, lose as a team. Yet the comments indicate the fragility of that trust, indicative of the position in which he plays rather than Almunia as an individual.

There is no doubt that the Spanish goalkeeper needs a big season; he hinted that he could improve his standing, win over his critics two seasons ago with consistent performances. Last season saw his development stall; inconsistency, costly errors and generally not inspiring confidence at all.

Personal circumstances contributed to that and should not be forgotten. Diplomatic absences seem to have reinvigorated Almunia for this campaign. The summer saw him replaced in all but name as number one and it was a little surprising that he was first choice as the season commenced. I suspect there was an element of Fabianski not doing enough – particularly in Poland – to inspire Wenger to take the risk with him so reverted to the Spaniard when other options did not materialise.

It is early days yet and no guarantee of form can be determined. Confident at Blackburn with crosses and looking safe against Bolton are positive steps but the first test will be how he reacts to mistakes and whether they are costly. Then the torrent of criticism which is bubbling will no doubt be unleashed.

As a new Champions League campaign gets under way this week, the manager observed the distress of repeated European failures prevented him from sleeping. There have been some glorious nights under his reign, matched by some abject performances along the way. For every wonderful victory in the San Siro or Bernabeu, there have been crushing defeats against Lens or Auxerre.

The list of failures is not limited to defeats. His first campaign officially in charge ended with an appalling aggregate defeat on away goals to PAOK Salonika. Even for the fledgling double winners, 1997/98s UEFA Cup defeat to the Greeks was a nightmare. The benefit may have been a less congested fixture list that helped in the pursuit of domestic glory but nonetheless, it was a tie that Arsenal was expected to win. Nowhere near the depths to which Winterslag dragged us fifteen years before but disappointing nonetheless.

Most painful defeats happen in finals or semi-finals; to come so close yet have nothing show hurts. The defeat to Galatasaray wrankles, the performance and penalties were abject. Similarly, losing in Paris with ten men being so close to victory hurts yet pride can be drawn from that performance.

The defeat which is most disappointing, represents the biggest wasted chance was The Invincibles. 2003/04 was the Golden Opportunity; Wenger’s strongest squad, in-form and in hindsight, the weakest semi-finals and final competition in Champions League history. Chelsea should have been beaten at Stamford Bridge, there were enough opportunities to do so. When Jose Antonio Reyes gave Arsenal the lead in first half injury during the return at Highbury, the shutters should have dropped. They didn’t and Wayne Bridge’s winner still fills me with dread.

Monaco in the semi-finals should not have been underestimated but Chelsea collapsed spectacularly in the first leg and threw away a tie-winning two goal advantage in the second, neither of which the Arsenal team of that season would have realistically done. Porto? Well, Mourinho’s fairytale farewell would have been a nightmare. It would have been a fitting reward but it was not to be. And we still wait for the Champions League to be delivered.

’til Tomorrow.

Arsene, UEFA Are The Dopes If They Think New Rules Change Anything

In the aftermath of Bolton’s defeat, the referee Stuart Atwell has been roundly – and rightly – criticised for not being on top of his game at the weekend. Most of the fingers are pointing towards Alex Song’s foul in the move which led to Gary Cahill’s red card.

That Bolton were only complaining about Song’s indiscretion at the time suggests that those who claim Cahill should only have received a yellow are wide of the mark. Equally, why is little attention being focussed on Paul Robinson’s assault on Diaby. Fifa point to the infallibility of the officials, an edict which is enforced with such vigour that even Pope’s cast envious glances, refusing to allow post-match video punishment as a part of the disciplinary regulations. This has to stop now, it should the rule rather than the exception. The extent to which Diaby will be missing is not yet known but the inital prognosis seems bad. Robinson? He will be there when Bolton play next, something which the authorities should be able to rectify.

As the Champions League gets into full swing this week and while the media eulogise over a certain other club’s return to Europe’s premier competition – it feels like they are the footballing equivalent of people who run into a significant event just to have their photo taken with someone important – Arsene spoke of the ‘financial doping’ (as he likes to call it).

Before the Bolton game, he observed:

It will be a massive advantage to Arsenal Football Club as soon as it’s applied if it’s well introduced. I don’t want to go into excuses but you want a business to be run properly and I believe that to lose £150 million a year you don’t deserve a lot of credit to win a competition. [Meanwhile] we have balanced our books. Maybe some people think it’s right because they don’t care but if they had to run a business I don’t think it’s right.

As ‘virtuous’ as the club has been in running the club properly whilst investing heavily, it is naive to think that the new Uefa rules will make any changes to the old guard. Last week is a case in point. Real Madrid posted record revenues and made a profit which would be enough to retain their Uefa Licence under the new rules.

Madrid has cast money to the wind and were very nearly rewarded last season with the league title, borrowed heavily to finance the unbalanced squad that they have. Corrective action may have been taken to compensate for interest payments and the like but at the end of the day, the club was able to meet Uefa’s new requirements with relative ease.

It should be a significant warning that the rules are going to have minimal impact at the top level. Whilst it fills column inches, the level of Manchester United’s debt and its subsequent servicing, will never be permitted to prevent their participation in the Champions League. They are too important in terms of sponsors to Uefa for the governing body to bar them from entry.

Clubs have wangled a ‘transitional’ phase for the introduction of the rules. Three seasons is more than long enough to learn how to balance the books without actually doing so. For clubs reliant upon a sugar daddy, Chelsea has shown how it can be done; convert the owners loans to capital and interest charges disappear. A significant cost line to the club vanishes in an instant, leaving them with the problem then of other ‘loss’ contributors. They will quickly divest the club of any loss-making activities, separating them out from football, to continue to fund their wage structures.

In short, the rules will have marginal impact and they won’t as Arsene seemed to be giving the impression, put Arsenal at a major advantage. That comes from the players on the pitch and you have to admit, they are doing  a good job so far this season.

’til Tomorrow.

Arsenal Rise Above The Rough And Tumble Bolton To Defeat

Arsenal 4 – 1 Bolton Wanderers

1 – 0 Koscielny (23)
1 – 1 Elmander (43)
2 – 1 Chamakh (60)
3 – 1 Song (78)
4 – 1 Vela (83)

Gary Cahill sent off (64)

Ghosts of season’s past rose and were reinterred at The Emirates as Arsenal squeezed the life from Bolton, before cruising to victory, capitalising on dropped points at Goodison Park whilst keeping Chelsea with touching distance. A match which saw Alex Song score the 1,000th Premier League goal of Arsene Wenger’s reign, was shaping as a reminder of failures in previous seasons before three goals in the final thirty minutes reinforced the notion of a squad which is coming of age, maturing into serious title challengers.

Wenger made several changes, forced and voluntary, the visitors tried, ultimately in vain, to unsettle with a robust approach, at odds with the pre-match assertions that Owen Coyle was moving the club away from its inglorious past under Sam Allardyce. Arsenal were not shaken but stirred as the new faces in the starting line-up clicked through the gears seamlessly.

Of the back five, only Almunia and Koscielny had played in the first team together this season yet Bolton failed to capitalise on the lack of understandings which this scenario brought about. It mattered not as the midfield, inspired by Fabregas, roared into life. The Spaniard mesmerised Robinson before Bogdan saved, the same outcome suffered by Arshavin minutes later, the Russian released by Rosicky’s exquisite pass.

The breakthrough came midway in the first half. Wilshere’s cross found Fabregas, the captain put the ball into Koscielny’s path as the centre back scuffed the ball home at the second time of asking. In matches of yesteryear, Arsenal might have eased back, particularly in the immediate aftermath of international breaks. A tentative sign of this not being the case any longer arrived as Fabregas and Rosicky found Bogdan in the visitors goal in inspired form, conspiring with fates to keep the lead down to one goal.

Warning signs had been seen earlier in the half as Davies brought a save from Almunia but the frailties of a new defence were exposed when Koscielny inexplicably headed into the path of Lee. The Korean showed great composure at the bye-line to find Elmander with his cross, the simple tap-in punishing the sloppiness of the centre-back’s play.

The interval allowed Arsenal to regroup but the visitors started the second half re-energised by their equaliser, Almunia denied Holden to provide evidence of his continued improvement on last season’s displays. As the hour approached, Arsenal woke from their slumber. Fabregas freed Chamakh, the Moroccan once more kept at bay by Bogdan. It was to be temporary respite. From the resultant corner, Fabregas found the time and space to pick out Chamakh, his header firm and true into the net.

The tempo upped and within five minutes, the balance of power swung firmly into the home side’s favour. Davies escaped a deserved second yellow card following a clash of heads with Koscielny. Incensed by the failure of the referee to punish a foul on Lee, Cahill went through the back of Chamakh with the finesse of a plough working Lancastrian fields in centuries past. He deservedly received a red card.

He might well have been accompanied by others. Robinson’s challenge on Diaby forced the Arsenal substitute to be replaced whilst Gibbs could quite easily have received a second caution later on. The inconsistency of officiating was highlighted by the failure to suitably punish all offenders irrespective of the colour of their shirt.

The outcome was put beyond doubt when Arshavin found Song in the area and the Cameroonian provided a Vela-esque touch to lift the ball over the sprawling Bogdan for the end of the millenium of goals under Wenger. There is no substitute for the real thing though. The final goal of the afternoon provided a fitting way for the count to the 2,000 goals to begin.

The passing and movement evoked memories of Giles, Bremner and Lorimer toying with a hapless Southampton three decades before, the pass of Fabregas, the timing of Vela’s run all trademark for Wenger’s new generation, the Mexican driving the ball confidently past the visitors goalkeeper to seal an emphatic scoreline.

For Wenger the result was confirmation of the growing confidence and belief of his charges, post-match he made the point that it has been a while since his team has emerged from back-to-back wins over perceived nemesis. That might be overstating the case somewhat, pandering to media assertions which pass too frequently as truth. The point can be emphasised with a win at The Stadium Of Light next weekend, a place at the Premier League summit for twenty-four hours assured for twenty-four hours at least.

’til Tomorrow

Bolton Preview: Beware Wandering Elbows

Bolton arrive at The Emirates, normality returning to football with seven games in a little over three weeks. The injuries to van Persie and Walcott were well-documented, the absence of Thomas Vermaelen a surprise. The Belgian has suffered an achilles injury whilst away with his country, although that Wenger noted he could be available for the Champions League this week suggests it is not as bad as it sounds.

The length of absences should be treated with caution. Arsene acts on the information he has and at times, it is ‘overly optimistic’ which is a feeder for the criticism of the medical staff at the club. Taking an optimistic view of recovery times in public tends to fuel disappointment when those targets are not met. Whilst it might be against his nature, pessimism in those circumstances diminishes the opportunity to snipe at medical staff without any knowledge of the subject matter.

That gives the opportunity for Sebastien Squillaci to make his debut, a rough welcome to the Premier League will no doubt be handed out by Kevin Davies. The Bolton forward appears to be unable to fathom why he is not an England international.

The answer lies in the fact that he regularly tops the list of cautions at the end of the season; he is a throwback to the days of Finney and Mortenson when goalkeepers regularly found themselves in the back of the net as well as the ball, a firm shoulder barge having dumped both there. An anachronism who would not last five minutes on the highest stage.

Having successfully soft-soaped Chris Foy before the Blackburn game, Wenger turned his attention to Davies, presumably in the hope he will get sent off in the first five minutes for flailing elbows. Whilst fouls on the ground are more likely to result in the serious injury, there are plenty of cases where depressed cheekbones or worse have been caused by combative aerial play although their frequency is lesser.

Which one of the central pairing he targets remains to be seen although Koscielny’s relative inexperience makes him more likely. A lot rests on their shoulders being strong today. Coyle is gradually trying to move Bolton into the 21st Century of football but when faced with technically superior opposition – or as in their last game, a deficiency of numbers – Bolton revert to type and play to what are still their strengths.

There is no point in complaining after the event when this happens; that is how Sam Allardyce set the club up and highlights why he should never be allowed near the England manager’s job. To have him there would set football in this country back five decades at a time when it is already lagging behind the rest of the top European nations.

Injuries suffered open doors for others. One being mentioned is Jack Wilshere who despite being in the papers for all of the wrong reasons a week ago, proved his potential on the pitch in the Under-21s win over Lithuania. Despite Gerrard Houllier’s criticism of footballers being out of control, the midfielder retains Wenger’s faith and confidence who deflected attention away from Wilshere with insinuations that Stuart Pearce lacked managerial skills in judging the psychological condition of players.

Owen Coyle had laid claim to being a mentor for Jack Wilshere, the reason for his readiness for first team football at Arsenal. Arsene was having none of that though, slapping the Bolton manager across the face with his glove in readiness for this afternoon’s duel:

He was only 17 when he went there and he has come back with more experience and more power. He has grown physically and is stronger. But Bolton did not teach him to play football. He was already a very gifted player when he went there.

I doubt that Wilshere will be Walcott’s replacement in the starting XI. The natural temptation would be to use either the youngster or Rosicky to maintain the attacking inspiration, Eboue looks more likely as the manager seeks to combat the strength utilised in the midfield by the visitors. Not that the Ivorian lacks attacking capacity and having scored in the first of the two recent internationals, he might well be brimming with confidence.

With three games every seven days, Wenger is in the period when rotation will be used. Had Vermaelen been fit, I suspect that either Clichy or Sagna would have been rested but with Koscielny still adapting and Squillaci untested in the Premier League, it would be a big gamble to replace either full back. As such, I would expect the starting line-up to be:

Almunia; Sagna, Koscielny, Squillaci, Clichy; Song, Diaby, Fabregas; Eboue, Chamakh, Arshavin

The bench will be bolstered by the return of Samir Nasri and no doubt he will get a runout this afternoon. Whatever team is fielded, this is a fixture which Arsenal is expected to win and must do so to maintain momentum. The international break is normally followed by a decidely average performance. Returning to their clubs a day earlier is supposed to allow better preparation for the upcoming fixtures. Let’s hope we get that benefit this afternoon.

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

Stone Cold Friday: Defensive Pessimism Is A Bigger Problem Than Injuries

Wayne Rooney may think his life is in crisis with recent revelations but that was nothing compared to the distress which befell Darius earlier this week. Floods everywhere. Of tears that is and the tantrums, the like of which have rarely been seen. Why? Not Theo’s injury, oh no. Nothing so trivial. His wife forgot to put his Cornish Pasty in his lunchbox. He’s recovered and he’s here now…

Last night, I was watching an episode of NCIS, one of my favourite drama shows. In this particular episode, an elderly lady was caught up in a dubious murder of her fiancée, and it also turned out that her daughter and grand-daughter had been assassinated by a Mexican drug cartel.

The plot thickened when it also transpired that her son-in-law was the investigating officer. Naturally, the NCIS team started speculating about whether the woman was cursed like the Kennedy family or the Monaco royal family who had people dropping out left right and centre. Were the deaths coincidental? Or was it possible to be so cursed that everyone around you took a dirt nap sooner than they needed to?

It kind of reminded me of Arsenal’s situation. Are we cursed? Did we do something in a previous life? What is it with the injuries?

Take a peek at the Arsenal blogosphere and you’d think that there was a credible case for such a dodgy argument. This alongside other theories that Arsenal intentionally sign players of “Elijah’s” ilk from the movie Unbreakable; or we don’t steam their vegetables enough; or we train them too hard; or that because they’re mostly foreigners, they’re not ‘ard enough for the Premier league.

Panic stations take over when there’s the customary outcry about the depletion of our squad as the injuries pile up. Someone yesterday even blamed the Arsenal medical staff for causing the injuries while the players were on international duty.

Which begs the question? How many players and reserves are enough for us to ensure that we will never get an injury? 2 people for each position? Three, four, five – or maybe six? Should we be exempt from the 25 man squad rule because clearly, we have issues with injuries and we need more players?

Take the example of the Van Persie injury. How can you legislate for a full-on challenge of the “let him know you’re there variety”? And more importantly, in the forward position that Van Persie plays, Wenger started the season with the Dutchman, Chamakh, Bendtner and also Emmanuel-Thomas in mind. How many front men can you have in a team?

Questioning whether we are well equipped for the season is like demanding that for every position, we have players who are either immune to injury and suspension, or who will never get tired. It’s like there’s an expectation that before we even start the car, the driver put on a helmet, a seat belt and also double check that the top of the range air bag is in working order, just in case we have an accident. And even when we have our expected quota of accidents, we still complain that the driver should have worn thermal underwear.

To tell you the truth, I was baffled and bemused in equal measure about the anxiety and doomsday scenarios being perpetuated around the web about Arsenal’s perceived vulnerability following the injuries to Walcott and Van Persie.

Statements like “we’re one injury away from a 5 ft 4 inch pygmy leading the line” make you wonder whether there are fans actively willing Chamakh to notch up an injury for good measure.

A few months ago, Axis, a regular contributor on ACLF introduced the angle of defensive pessimism, an art form that a group of Arsenal fans seem to have perfected.

Defensive pessimism can be defined as a motivated cognitive strategy that helps people manage their anxiety and pursue their goals. Individuals who use defensive pessimism generally set low expectations, and play through extensive mental simulations of possible negative outcomes as they prepare for possible disappointment.

They spend their time and energy looking for every little thing they can criticize to rationalize their extremity and refuse to accept to work with what’s in hand.

Injuries are an occupational hazard in football. It’s frustrating as hell, but we get to work with what we have. Last time I checked, Arsenal was well equipped to soldier on with the campaign. I would go as far as suggesting that we have more strength and depth than our title challengers in this respect. The noise about ‘being one injury away’ from whatever doomsday scenario makes the mind wonder.

Teams like Chelsea have to resort to “crying wolf” when it comes to injuries just before an international break. How many times have we come across Lampard and Terry being injured just before teams break up, only to be fit and fighting just after folks come back from the international break?

Some call this Chelsea tactic ‘smart’, but it just stinks of a team that know they can’t handle their squad being stretched and have found cynical ways to protect their old age pensioners.

My take is that shades of defensive pessimism within the Arsenal ranks are more dangerous to our season than injuries that occur as a natural result of a contact sport.

We can’t stock pile players ‘just in case’ we get an injury. We already have a strong squad that will stand us in good stead for the season.

’til Tomorrow.