Written by Mean Lean on Wednesday, 10 October 2012 12:07
There the Arsenal players were, smiling and laughing with the adoring Arsenal fans, three East London based points in the bag, the Chelsea defeat squeezed out of the system after a week of two victories. Things just couldn't get any better, it was party time until the door slammed open and smiles quickly turned to frowns and grimaces as International football has once again gate crashed the party.
We now have to cross body parts once again and hope that our players can return without injury. At the very least we have the likes of Mikel Arteta who can rest his limbs. He is not exactly a spring chicken these days and his importance to the team I would say is unmatched.
Last season we went game after game agonising whenever Robin van Persie went down on the pitch, this time round I think we will have a similar reaction when Arteta looks hurt. We do not have an experienced replacement and a long term problem to Arteta would make me shed a number of tears. That said, I could see a Jenkinson type improvement from Francis Coquelin if he managed to get a run of games together in the team.
If you missed a very good recent piece on Arteta by @hahostolze then check that out. I am amazed that a player of his quality is not playing for Spain. How is it possible that one country can have so much talent to choose from in the same position? Not that I am complaining you understand, having him resting and preparing for the next Arsenal game while others are tiring themselves out cannot be a bad thing. Can it?
Bacary Sagna played the other night and apparently looked as if he had never been away, well that is Sagna for you isn't it? He has been a machine since he joined us in 2007. I watched his interview and something he said struck me. He was asked when he thought he would be back in the Arsenal side. His response was.
“I don't have any target - my only aim is to be ready and bring what I can to my team, to give 100 per cent like always,”
I could (as always) be reading more into this than necessary but this situation reminded me of another right back who was injured. I was waiting patiently for Lauren to come back from long term injury, assuming he would come back into the team but Arsene had other ideas. He kept faith with a youngster (Eboue) and finally sold Lauren.
Bacary Sagna's comments to French press may not be as accidental as we imagine. Inter Milan are now being linked with him and it wouldn't surprise me or indeed be anything new if Arsene decided that it was time to cash in on a player who had suffered two leg breaks in a short space of time at his age. This is not to say that I would like Sagna sold, it just wouldn't surprise me. It wouldn't surprise me if he wanted to make a move elsewhere either.
We will know more when Sagna is fit enough to play in the first team. If he comes straight in then I am talking cobbles (as always) but if Jenkinson keeps his place then things could change. Watch this space I guess.
I watched the highlights of the U21s game against Reading last night, disappointed in the lack of coverage on Jack Wilshere, perhaps he just didn't touch the ball very much. I did see Serge Gnabry's goals though and that was very tasty.
A jink inside his man and then a curling shot with his wrong foot into the far corner. Lovely jubbly. Whenever Arsene has spoken about him recently, he looks as if he cannot contain his excitement. There was no maybe about his future, it was more certain fact that he would be making first team appearances this season.
It will be good to see how he performs with better players around him, it will be only then do we get a better understanding of how far this kid can go.
Anyhoo, enough of that for now.
Back again soon.
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jenkinson is the best
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