Sevilla 3 – 1 Arsenal: Losing Cesc and Arsene is more costly than defeat
Add comment November 30th, 2007
So, I’m back. We lost in Seville, and there wasn’t a vast amount to say about the game itself. By leaving out Gallas and Adebayor, Arsene (purposefully or otherwise) sent out a message that this game was not all important.  Despite a strong start and early lead gained by a neat Eduardo finish, we collapsed under their forceful counter-attacks, with Philippe Senderos at the heart of a less than convincing defensive display.
However, with safe passage into the next round of the Champions League already confirmed, the defeat was not the most damaging aspect of Tuesday night. More worrying was an injury to Cesc Fabregas, who was substituted early in the second half. However, despite early concerns, the injury is not as bad as initially feared, and the Spanish sensation has an outside chance of being fit for Saturday’s game at Villa Park.
Another absence to make Arsenal fans nervous could be Arsene Wenger, after UEFA banned him from the dugout and dressing-room for one game and threatened to extend the suspension after an investigation. All rather dull, but it could have a fairly detrimental effect is it’s extended to several matches. Somehow I can’t see Arsene copying Jose Mourinho’s tricky of sneaking into the dressing room in a laundry basket.
Villa is going to be a tricky game. Fighters like Flamini will need to be at the top of their game, especially if Cesc is out. It’s an exciting test – full preview tomorrow.
