Wenger admits Arsenal are short of defenders
Arsene Wenger has more than enough centre-backs this season after suffering with injury after injury in that department last year, but now the extras are being used to cover the wide defenders. When Arsenal played Dortmund on Wednesday Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker and Johann Djourou were all used during the 90 minutes.
After selling Gael Clichy during the summer, Wenger brought in Andre Santos to compete with Kieran Gibbs at left-back, but with Gibbs out injured (for a change) Santos won’t be able to play every game until he gets back.
Things are even worse on the right flank, as Bacary Sagna’s long term injury means that the young Carl Jenkinson is the only recognised right-back in the squad, and he is in the treatment room alongside Gibbs.
Wenger said last night: “Jenkinson is at least three weeks away, Gibbs maybe four. They are progressing as normal.” Koscielny was replaced by Djourou on Wednesday and Wenger said “It was just fatigue” so he may be hopeful that the Frenchman will be okay to face Fulham on Saturday, but he did admit that Arsenal couldn’t afford to have any more injuries at the back.
He said: “There are a few knocks you get from high intensity games but no injuries. It’s very good news because we are a bit short in some departments – especially defensively. Every player we lose at the moment could be very detrimental. We just have to monitor their recovery and go into the next game.”
I am wondering if Santos will be able to take part in three games in just seven days and how long it will be before we see all four main centre-backs lined up at the start of a game. Knowing the big Carling Cup game against Man City is coming up on Tuesday means Wenger will have to do some serious shuffling in defence once again….
Trackback: trackback from your own site.
COMMENTS GUIDELINES: ANY COMMENTS WITH SWEARING OR PERSONAL ABUSE WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT EXCEPTION: PLEASE DISCUSS THE SUBJECT IN A FREINDLY AND OBJECTIVE MANNER. SERIAL ABUSERS WILL BE BANNED. PLEASE BE NICE TO YOUR FELLOW GOONERS!
I tink 4 d game against man city wenger should use ful backs 4rm d reserves nd rest kosh nd santos nd miguel can patner djourou at d back.
Opinions divided. What do you think?
8 
16
Messi plays every game, week in week out, even the unnecessary games. Is it that Arsenal players are unusually fragile or that Messi is an unusual athlete?
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
39 
5
Arsenal need to buy Leighton Baines because he is younger than Santos and far better and Baines is probably fed up with Everton (you know, being shit and all?) and he is a great free kick taker and attacker. I do like Santos though. I think Arsenal should also buy Vertonghen and get rid of Squillaci and Djourou. Arsenal also needs to buy someone like Mario Gotze or Marvin Martin to strengthen our attack, preferably Gotze. He’s world class.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
31 
10
a fullback would be good, we could use someone that can play on either flank.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
16 
0
Vertongen is d answer to our defence
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
31 
3
Liverpool are in the market for Leighton Baines so now would be an opportune time to pip them at the post and come first for once.
Rate this comment:
6 
5
Lets not forget that attack wise we are skatting on thin ice if RVP is out for 2 weeks that means no goals for 2 weeks. we need another world class striker two if possible and just a right back coz Thomas can play left back if need be. So This is what i suggets one striker, one right back and one to partner the big and best Song.
Rate this comment:
5 
4
Unlike last season, i dont have any fear about our defence. Im so confident about them. Kosielny did perfectly at right back against dortmund and im confident he will better against mancity at the carlin cup. Per is improving with every game but his passes are very bad and that should not be done against city. Santos! Mmm. Has done very well in defending but he travel too much which will be very bad against city.
Rate this comment:
5 
2
Arsenal need an experience right back like Baines, a striker that will cover Robin and a mid fielder. Our season will be ok
Opinions divided. What do you think?
5 
8
Normally December to February are the most important month. We have fortunately not faced as many inuries as last years but the team certainly look short at the back.
I think we all agree that Gibbs is injury prone, Sagna will be back sometimes in February (if no set back) and Jenkinson needs still more matches and experience to become dependable.
On top of that Chmakh and Gervinho go to African cup for one month mid jan to mid feb.
So we come to a very familiar situation that if AW doesnt act correctly, all good work before Xmas is wasted in the drain.
We need a fullback, prefreably somebody who can play left and right. Alternatively, we could buy Cahil and use TV5 as left full back if required. Anyhow we need one experienced defensive player.
Furthermore, one creative mid fielder like Podulski would be excellent. We cant afford Hazzard, we cant afford Geotze but there are many good players around at lower cost.
I think a big problem at Arsenal is not that they are stingy but the structure of the wages. In the past years, we have been dependent to some players like Almunia, Bendter, Denilson, Squillachi, Chmakh, Diaby as our main players were injured. These guys did well time to time without consistency but as we were dependent, we are giving them high wages. No team will pay Almunia, Diaby Denilson 50-60k/week but we did. The result is that we cant get rid of Almunia, Squillachi, Denilson etc.
This team need to reshuffle wage structure, make it performance based and much more spread between the high and low salaries. This is what Manu does successfully. they can keep both Rooney and mediocre chaps.
Imagine you are samir nasri and you earn as much as denilson. of course you think Arsenal board lacks common sense and logic.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
17 
3
again like i said these trio vertonghen,podolski and goetze wud b the main priority this january..yea we hv a big squad..bt the squad dd not need almunia,squid,denilson,bendter,chamakh..these five is a wasteful on the wages n useles n the squad..the trio for the five useles go..not bad right? baines?i wish too,bt none there a news bout hem,wenger keen on the trio.espcialy vertonghen and goetze!for striker to replace bendtner n chamakh shud b podolski.shall see hu wud he buy r he stil keen on chamakh. hopefuly almunia,squid,denilson,bendtner,chamakh go in january and i meant permanent!! trio vertonghen,goetze n podolski wud b more than enough in january.
both vertonghen podolski wud cost around 25 milion combine.n goetze wud b around 25m alone.hpefuly dortmund wil lose their last group match n we cn offer goetze champion league football.baines wud b a great addition too. cnt see wenger spend 50m on players at january.espcialy wt the kind of board we hv.remains hopeful vertonghen,goetze n podolski wud join us. baines? up to wenger in the end.n djourou,arshavin n rosicky for their last year with us perhaps.
Rate this comment:
5 
3
no need for cahill dude! we need vertonghen cn play several position n wud straight forward gelled in the defences with tv5 there too.cn play in cb,lb n so as dm.we need that type of leader too n he is similar to tv5 n good ndrstanding.santos cn b the scond option.goetze no complain we need him.n podolski to replace chamakh n bendtner.again yes he is a scond striker same as rvp wil play deep n in the same time attacking. he cn learn a lot under wenger n rvp.he jst not in th right team.so vertonghen,goetze n podolski shud b in the gunners shirt! baines stip wud b great adition bt we hv santos n gibbs too,f baines wud play in the right he shud b good also?dnt think too.stil think wenger wil only bought one that is tv5 twins!
against fulham;
szc
djourou-mert-tv5-santos
song-arteta
ramsey
walcot-rvp-gervinho
against manshity;
fabianski
yennaris-koscielny-djourou-miquel
coquelin-frimpong
chambo-arshavin-benayoun
park
play our own football!!dnt mind even if its shity..our youth+experience will prove them wrong..our first team shud against them in the premier league
Opinions divided. What do you think?
4 
10
dude messi is an unbelievable athlete.. Even cristiano daznt play evry game.. Messi z simply astonishing. We shudnt wory abt manshitty, play the youngstars n dnt risk any 1st team member, especialy van persi. Our priority js shifted 2 tha premier league n ad hate 2 c de jong against ramsey. Our 2nd squad z good enough 2 get a 2-1 win.. We shud play hw we playd against bolton n hope shitty dnt play david silva. Fabianski. Yennaris, miquel, djorou, boateng, cocky-lin, frimpng, rosicky/benayoun,russiarvin, ox in the box and park or 442 wth chamakh in 4 aa23.. With th@ we save our playerz 4rm injury n stil tk out a competitiv team
Rate this comment:
4 
0
if wenger needs trophies, he must add three players,1.powerfull center forward 2.attacking midfielder 3.strong defender. you see big games arsenal luck attacking skills instead depending only RVP to score,even if park is there he cannot play like a strike, he plays like a winger. wenger do something add super quality to your team now.
Rate this comment:
2 
5
i thnk we should reshuffle our defences a bit against fulham n go for game against man city..
Rate this comment:
1 
1
I will say this as politely as I can, Djoure is our weak link and should be sold. I would keep Kossie on the right, Verminator and Per CB’s, and either Santos or Miguel on the left. If either one of them gets injured now, things won’t look good at all. This January Wenger needs to do two things. Sell Fabianski, Djoure. Buy a new defender, preferably someone who is versatile in all positions. Then buy another great striker, because if RvP gets injured, we have no one to net. Park is good but lacks vital experience.
Wenger also needs to start playing the youngsters a bit more. Not all at one time, throw in say Ox for 1 half, or Miyachi for a half. Give the boys something to go on and some much needed experience. Because sooner or later, when we are rife with injuries which is beginning to happen again, we are going to need them in big games. The more experience they can get now, the better. I know that’s what the carling cup is for, but still it’s not enough for them. And they are all good players, the Ox, Miyachi, Park, Miguel, Pong, Coquelin are the future and a good future it is too.
Top Gooner!. Agree or not?:
9 
0
We have enough players in our team that can do the job, enough of this crazy cry of buy this player, sell that player, Wenger this, Wenger that. Please get behind the team with your full support or still go join shiti, spurds or chelsik & stop depressing us with your stupid demands. Gunners 4 life!
Opinions divided. What do you think?
10 
6
Imo we.need to experienced players.for.each.defensive.position and one or two youngsters as.cover. my ” in ex.perienced” back 4 would.be.jenkinson bartley miquel.gibbs. my.first choice.back 4.would.be van der.weil koscielny.vermaelen baines with sagna mertesacker.vertonghen santos as their main competition. cash could be raised for the 3 new purchases by selling djourou squillaci hoyte brislen-hall. i believe in midfield we are ok tho i would prefer to loan out frimpong in favour of a more experienced dm as rival to song with coquelin as cover. ramsey arteta wilshire diaby rosicky benayoun looks enough for the 2 advanced midfield roles but there is a lot of injury carriers there. whether its this window or next i would like to see rosicky diaby and benayoun replaced. centre forward well i am not sure any genuine centre forward is going to want to be understudy to rvp or any other cf who is.in such a rich vein of form. in chamakh and park we have 2 free scoring strikers at least internationally they are, who appear to be.content to wait in the shadows we also have afobe when he is back. personally i would raise cash in this department by selling bendtner vela murphy and chamakh to bring in another striker one that could do a shift on the flank if required podolski would be ideal if not soldaldo. it is the flanks i am most concerned about walcott gervinho arshavin chamberlain ryo the latter 2 are fine as our in experienced 2 but arshavin needs to go this would leave room for 2 more. i probably buy 1 and move benayoun to the flank for this season allowing us to buy another midfielder. then in the summer let yossi go.
january sales
Rate this comment:
0 
3
One more world class striker to pair RVP is a NEED!!! This place need a reinforcement, come on AW!
Rate this comment:
3 
1
People tend to forget that baines will be very costly. He’s english, that means a 10 million add-on in transfer fees.
There’s 3 players we have been linked to recently, all 3 can play at full back and will be great cover in other areas as well: Juan Manuel Vargas(fiorentina), Andreas Beck(Hoffenheim) and Jan Vertonghen(Ajax). All 3 can play at left back. Vargas can play at left wing, Beck at rb, and vertonghen at cb and dm. Who’s the best choice? I’d say Beck, he’s a proper full back and a german international.
Rate this comment:
1 
0
Out of all the names being mentioned on here, Vertonghen would be my preferred choice.
That is if we sign anyone in January. Gibbs and Jenkinson will have just recovered from injury by then, and Sagna will only be about a month or so away from returning. I doubt anyone will be bought, unless we get another injury in defence.
What are peoples thoughts on Lovren? Perhaps a replacement for Djourou
Rate this comment:
2 
0
For the Fulham,I’ll like the back line to be
Fab_JD_Kosa_Merta_Ver
With this,we’ll know what JD and Fab can offer against ManC and also give due rest to santos.diaby can also play for ramsey as a starter or sub.
I believe other positions are our inform players,they are starters definitely but can be subbed if necessary.
Let’s forget the city game is a carling cup match,I believe they will put out a quality eleven so we need a strong team as well.if we can knock them out,then we have increased our chances of winning a trophy and also boost our growing confidence.if I must add,I will prefer the same squad that played Dortmund. Our 1st 11 4 now!!
All the best to all GUNNERS!
Rate this comment:
1 
2
against fulham we shud play a mix of first team n reserve…
against city, THE FULL TEAM !
koz this is the to send a message to the whole league, that arsenal can beat anyone !
Rate this comment:
0 
0
My knees on d ground.pls sell djourou , squilaci and diaby then buy vertoghen, gotze or hazard and one other good striker
Rate this comment:
1 
1
there are so many midfielders at the moment. create three universal players,probably, sqilacci, diaby and chamach. you don’t need to buy when we have so many players roasting maize at the terraces of emirates.
Rate this comment:
0 
0
Wenger won’t sign a right back. Otherwise when Sagna and Jenkinson return what will happen. Also Nico Yennaris has just signed a new contract so this tells Wenger thinks hes ready is really needed.
I think what we need is more players like Benayoun. Squad players. Players who are a little older, and are happy to play second fiddle and only fill in when needed. Look at Man Utd- this is what made them successful.
I would say Vertonghen would be a great choice but i just can’t see it happening. I am worried about eh striker most though. Persie is getting old and i don’t know who will replace him when he moves on…. youth wise i don’t think we have any good enough youngsters.
Rate this comment:
0 
0
carling cup is for the younster to shine and show somethng,its their competition. if we won n we against othr chelsea and liverfool n yet put the full team and next the final if we against manu yet put the full team again??wenger knws best.these competition is for the young gunner.when then do wud hv chance to play??these time to rest the senior one.stil cn mix some youth+experience. we wud b against shity in premier league that is for the first team.wud love these lineup against shity,f jenkinson n gibbs back by then they shud b playin.bt f not these wud b likely;
fabianski
yennaris-djourou-kos-miquel
diaby-coquelin
chambo-rosicky-benayoun
park/chamakh
put arshavin n the scond half bhind the strikers with 4-4-1-1. prove doubter wrong espcialy shity! we cn win even with our youth, play our own footbal! ;D
Rate this comment:
1 
1
We should really shuffle our defense against fulham.. Santos needs a break so the verminator should start at left back and song and per as cb… Coquelin should play as dm and arteta needs a break 2… Otherwise the team should remain the same…
Wenger knows best… Arsenal til I die…
Rate this comment:
0 
1
The Arsenal is team has quite alot of depth and its not Wengers style to flood the team with new players when we have so many players already. Squillaci has been linked with a Spanish club and to be honest his performances have been below par. I think we should move him on and bring in a younger more athletic CB. If the CB is able to play LB like Koscielny does CB and RB that would be helpful. We should also see how Park performs (provided he is given more game time) then evaluate whether a new striker is necessary in January. Also Walcott is still awaiting an opportunity to play as a Striker. Im interested to see if Wenger will ever play him in that role. Arshavin is another player I would consider in January.
Rate this comment:
0 
0
Emphasis should not be on defence alone but as well attack.Am scared and fear grips my spine each time R V P is kicked or fell on the ground.He is playing virtually every game because he is the only prolific stricker we have so why not back him with Moussa Sow?Podolski is not bad too.However, defence need the priority because we
Rate this comment:
0 
0
Wenger will not buy Leighton Baines as well as Santos. He will not want to pass over Gibbs. Meanwhile if Gibbs is like all the others (and if he is ever uninjured – and if he learns how to defend) he will get really good and then bugger off and leave. My point is Arsene needs to be more ruthless, less sentimental.
He might buy another defender who is versatile – to cover both full back positions ?
Rate this comment:
0 
0
what about Jagailka? folks!
Rate this comment:
0 
0