Arsenal team for Reading: Giroud – Yes…Walcott – Maybe….Diaby – Certainly not!
Although Arsenal are not playing Reading until Monday night, Arsene Wenger has given an early injury update after the diabolical game at Bradford earlier this week.Although Wenger put out a very strong team that night there were a few players unavailable like Andre Santos, Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott and Laurent Koscielny.
Wenger made absolutely no mention of Santos, but it looks like we won’t have to suffer watching Gervinho pretend to be a centre-forward this week as Giroud is set to return. Wenger wasn’t too sure about the others coming back except for Koscielny.
Wenger said yesterday: “It’s difficult because some players are still not practising so I can still not tell you exactly who will be available on Monday. Koscielny should come into the training group today, with Walcott we don’t know but Giroud is back.
Arsene was also asked if we could soon see the much-needed Abou Diaby return to the squad, but he replied point-blank: “Over Christmas? Certainly not!”
“He has slow progress. I cannot give you any fixed date because we are a bit in no man’s land on that front. He is working. We are waiting for him to come back but he is not ready.”
Other than Diaby the only other real long-term injury is Lukasz Fabianski who won’t be seen for a while. One player that hasn’t been seen or heard of for a long time is Johan Djourou so I think we can assume he will be leaving us in January, probably to Juventus….






To Napoli not Juventus.. Juventus don’t need a CB like djourou, they’ve got at least 4 world class central defenders
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diaby is rvp in making. i hope wenger will sell him dis jan or during summer transfer window. And replace him with a player of same standard (whome am i kidding).
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Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Out of tune?. Like or Dislike:
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hope Rosicky gets a start, maybe on the wing, with walcott/chamberlain on the other
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Sir chesny
Sagna kos Verm Gibbs
wilshere arteta
Cazorla
ox giroud. Pod
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Sorry about accidental space on above comment btw
Opinions divided. What do you think?
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Hope Rosicky plays, him and Cazorla link up very well. I also hope Ramsey doesnt play at all on Monday. I am really fed up with him… Gervinho is absolute shiitt at times, but he can sometimes be decent on the wing as a sub. Him as a Striker is pathetic.
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The Diaby situation is maddening. The only time we looked like a decent team this season was when Diaby was in the team. He was one of our best players if not our best when he was healthy, and i think Cazorla flourished when playing alongside him. He offers quality and steel in equal measure.
Such a shame that his body is not cut out to survive the rigors of professional football. The single biggest reason for the slow and deliberate decline of this club is the continuous sale of our best players and the replacement of those players with ones of far less quality.
It’s especially frustrating when one of the few high class players we manage to hold onto happens to be a thoroughbread who can only get in the race 4 or 5 weeks each season.
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@villa123:
It’d be funny if Diaby is really Van Persie in the making, down to the final moment.
hypethetical situation:
2 more years of injury, until around 28yrs old, he suddenly plays 1 full season with no injury, becomes Cap the same year and becomes the new Patrick Vieira. Then we sell him for 25mil to another club and watch him boss us around in the midfield…
Now lets hope i’m absolutely wrong about it in every way possible and hope Diaby gets well soon and stay well long enough.
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schezny sagna varmalen matersacker gibbs
arteta wilshere casorla
walcott rosicky giroud
Opinions divided. What do you think?
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Spot on @CraigTaylor
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only ox and rosisky can save us, it’s tim those guys get back their flair and get us some goals from distance
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Diaby and Gibbs are fantastic players and would clearly make alot of difference in the team. But unfortunately, their made of glass
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Shez
Sag. Mert tv5. Gibbs
Arteta. Wilshere
Ox. Rosicky. Carzola
Pod
Best team at the moment would rip reading apart
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I like Rosicky he’s positively decisive with his first touch and passes the ball forward quick, we’ll win the game if he starts Monday!
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4-1-3-2
———SCZ———
-SAG-MERT-VERM-GIIBS-
——–ARTEAT——-
-CAZORLA-JACK-ROSICKY- (ALL INTERCHANGING POSITIONS)
—-WALLCOT-GIROUD—-
no gervinho n ramsey starting at all!
PODOLSKI can b use as Striker as Sub, i vl prefer Rosciky over him cox We all know what ROSCIKY mean to us!
These player can offer us great success untill JANUARY!
WE have great players but stupid manager who plays Shit on Picth n Class on Bench!
plz hang out some sticky banners (not abusive) for Out of position players!
Gervinho as ST n Ramsey on Wing, pathetic!
Opinions divided. What do you think?
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——————Szczesny——————
Sagna———Mert——Vermaelen—–Gibbs
————Arteta——–Wilshere——–
Rosicky———-Cazorla———Podolski
—————–Giroud——————
0-2 to the Arsenal!
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the truth is,wenger shld stop usin gervinho n ramsey 4 nw cos they’re nt of arsenal standard period
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We need Theo Walcott badly cos without him our attack look toothless(Remember match against Aston Villa). It was sure away 3 points for us but unfortunately match end up in other way. Hope our board will realise before its too late and tie him down with improved contract.
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These players are not being utilised in positions to win a football game. This has been happening even before some of these players came.
It is obvious that the formation we play is ineffective, sadly it is the only one we play. WHY?
I think that if these players were given proper coaching depending on the next opponent, they would be able to do much better.
Every game i can see after 15 mins if we are going to lose the game.
If i can see that, why cannot our coach see this, and MAKE SOME CHANGES in the formation to combat the difficulties, every week we play the same game, does not matter who is actually playing, the subs come on at exactly the same time what ever the score. There is no thought on how to defeat the opponents. There is no strategy. There is no plan.
I think it is time the players TAKE MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS if they ever want to acheive anything. They must know one another’s strengths and weaknesses by now.
AW is not a coach what ever he thinks. He has only one way of playing football, and it does not work with this team at all. He needs to let Bould take over the strategy of the team on the match day and the preparation of watching the opponents strengths and weaknesses.
I have NEVER thought of AW as a football coach.
He seems to have absolutely NO idea how to prepare a football game depending on the opponents.
It is SAD to see the same process every game. COME ON AW realise that this is not your strength and DELEGATE DELEGATE.
This is supposed to be a TEAM, not just the players on the field, but the coaching staff is part of the team.
WORK as a team and you will see the difference in how the players perform.
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Here’s what i think the team should line up like
——–Szczesny——–
Sagna—–Mert—–Vermaelen—–Gibbs
arteta——-wilshere
rosicky——————carzola
Podolski
Giroud
I know its different but its the only way to put our top players in their preferred positions. what say?
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Vermaelen is a weak centre back kos is much better than him
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Reading will score. But will we? No walcot in the game spells trouble. Giroud does not make his own goals. He needs to be assisted. So who will assist him? Ox was terrible at bradford. At the moment, he cannot cross a ball well to save his life. Podolski has no pace and gervinho is a headless chicken. So how do we win this game? Wenger should start by benching ramsey and gervinho. If we are short in numbers, he can always call on arshavin and eisfield. They both did well when we played reading in carling cup.
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Like to see Gervinho & Ramsey employed on either wings, carrying first team kits bags!
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I love artillery1 formation,it is a winning formation where we have two strikers upfront and 3 creative midfielders behind them.it just pains me wenger only plays 1 dimension formation which is 4-3-3,dat is nt working,even limiting us from scoring.wenger should open his eyes dat the only way we are going to win is 4 d players to be played in there suited positions dat they were playin in there previous clubs.To me i will put gervinho,podoski,ramsey,arshavin,ox on d bench.whoever is weak btw walcot and giroud upfront i will change wit podoski.wenger should start playing 4-1-3-2 formation more attacking 4 us.
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My fellow arsenal fans we all call on d board and wenger to buy new players bt to me dat is nt d solution of our par performance dis season.Arsenal have players,bt they are nt used properly.if we look at manu nt dat they have extraordinary players,it is just dat alex fergie plays a formation dat suits d players and he plays d players there exact position dat they were playin in there previous clubs.for instance,have valencia or young been played as a striker. Arsenal problem is wenger,he plays only 1 dimension formation(4-3-3) in all matches nt changing formation and playin players out of position.
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I’m amazed at how Sagna has kept up playing even though he’s not 100% fit. No one expected to see him play against Everton or Bradford. The guy is a boss!
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Scezney
Sagna Per Vermaalen Gibbs
Arteta Wilshire
Walcott Rosicky Cazorla
Giroud
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……………….Gervinho……………..
Gervinho..Gervinho..Gervinho..Gervinho
…………..Gervinho…..Gervinho…………
Gervinho … Gervinho … Gervinho
………………Gervinho………….
The best squad arsenal can hope for at the moment:P
Gervinho 5-7 reading
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@zgooner
Worth a try and give Podolski a run up front second half for girourd.
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