Written by Mean Lean on Friday, 25 February 2011 14:18
Good afternoon,
Well, I say good afternoon but I guess it could be better couldn't it? It could always be better but given the fact that Cesc Fabregas has been ruled out of the Carling cup final, I could be feeling much better this Friday afternoon. It is not so much that we will miss his ability which we obviously will but the fact that he cannot play, then hopefully lift the cup that is the heart break.
If we do manage to beat Birmingham City on Sunday, Cesc will almost certainly be there lifting the cup in his tracksuit alongside Van Persie but for a player it is not the same.
Arsene will be selling the bigger picture to Cesc, we need him for much more important games in the near future. Cup final or no cup final, the Carling cup starts off as last on the list of priorities for the club at the start of the season, and as much as we need and want to win this trophy, winning the league is much more important.
I was thinking about the implications of missing our captain in the next couple of games. There is a stat going around about Arsenal's win percentage this season with and without Cesc. Something like 70% with him in the side and 40+% without him. On the face of it, that sounds quite remarkable but I think those statistics are a little mischievous when you consider that we have often played our second string side when Cesc hasn't been playing. I wouldn't be at all surprised if those figures were very similar with the likes of Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri et al.
When you look around the Arsenal squad, it is difficult to find another player who provides what Cesc does, quite literally as well. I would say that Tomas Rosicky is probably the closest thing to Cesc in the squad but on current form is head and shoulders beneath Cesc's level. Theo Walcott's strike off the post in the opening minutes against Stoke on Wednesday was a case in point. It looked so very simple but when Jack found Cesc on the edge of the area, Cesc's first thought wasn't to dribble, it wasn't to make room for a shot. It was to slice open the Stoke City back four and thread through a pass to Walcott.
Samir Nasri, Abou Diaby, Aaron Ramsey and even Jack Wilshere are all fantastic talents but none of them are out and out play makers. I do think Jack can be that player, albeit more of a dribbler but we need our captain back fit as soon as possible. Especially for the Barcelona game and Theo will be equally if not more important as well for that same game.
Losing Cesc for Sunday may at least give me a chance to see an interesting midfield assuming that Abou Diaby has come through training sessions well physically.
As wonderfully, wonderful as Jack Wilshere is and has become, I doubt that he would have been in this position today if Abou Diaby and Alex Song had started the season fully fit and with pre season training behind them.
Diaby was fantastic in the first half at Newcastle. Many have their views on his sending off but even his detractors could not criticise his display. Before Essien savagely stamped on his ankle he was running the midfield and causing last season's champions all sorts of problems.
In a game where the opposition are likely to employ physical tactics to try and overcome us you would imagine that a combination of Song and Diaby would be a duo not to be messed with. I also want to see Jack Wilshere in his favoured more advanced role. He is showing more and more self belief as the games go by and I think he can really shine at Wembley. Dropping his shoulder, darting in between Birmingham challenges and sliding balls down the side of Van Persie.
I loved the way Wilshere glides past people and opens up space that did not exist before he found the ball. Cesc's absence could give Wilshere the freedom to express himself and what a stage it would be.
Wenger may not want to interupt the Song, Wilshere combination and could use Nasri more centrally and draft in Bendtner for his phyiscal and power in the air so we do not yet know what Wenger will do. I hope it will be the former but we shall wait for Sunday before le Boss unveils his plans
Anyway, I will be talking more about the possible team selection in the following days. I was going to wait for Arsene's press conference so I could write a little more about that but I have things to do and dreaming to do about Sunday and stuff.
Back tomorrow I'm sure.
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0 in the afternoon (WEIRD?!?!?) I am willingly going to visit my in laws on the grounds that they have a telly, something which my broke ass cannot afford (that and the satellite fees that I cannot afford). As such, if such a sacrifice is made, surely God almighty can repay me with a trophy for the Herbert Chapman Stadiums dusty old trophy cabinet.... PLEASE.
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