Same team for the third consecutive game? + Arsene looking for a centre-back
1 comment August 21st, 2009
The news that Theo Walcott will miss the Portsmouth game with a back injury means that, unless Arsene decides to plunge the fit-again Eduardo in to the first team, Arsenal will line up with the same XI in their opening three games.
It’s only a good thing, especially as it’s allowing the players to adapt to our new 4-3-3 formation. Whilst Arsene is reluctant to committ to it on a permanent basis:
“There are many benefits from it. I would say it’s not a definite system. I might go again to 4-4-2 – just at the start of the season I wanted to play high up the pitch and bring the threat to the opponents’ half very early in the game. We are an attacking team and that formation gives us a chance to suit our character.”
Pleased though I am by the consistency in our line-up, a niggling back injury for Walcott is a bit of a worry. I think he features heavily in Arsene’s thinking with this new system, with the manager having long insisted that Walcott is not an orthodox right-midfielder, but more an attacker who happens to be deployed on that flank.
In the same interview, Arsene spoke about the impact Thomas Vermaelen has made since arriving from Ajax:
“I believe first of all he’s a player who is intelligent, good in the air, technically good but overall he’s calm and determined and at the back it’s always very difficult to combine aggression and committment and calmness, and he has a good combination of that. But overall I believe as well he’s a good combination with Gallas, who’s playing very well as well. “
Despite Vermaelen’s form, we’re still very light at the back, and it’s here that Arsene has hinted he might be prepared to strengthen:
“We are looking still, we have an open eye, we are not desperate because we believe if you look at the players who are out, and the squad we have available we have a big squad. Maybe in the defensive area we could still do… but everybody looks for basically the same areas!”
He’s right there, with Liverpool and Manchester United also reportedly on the lookout for a centre-half.
Finally today, Henri Lansbury has joined Championship side Watford on loan until January. Henri was incredibly well thought of a couple of years ago, but his progress seems to have stalled somewhat. How he fares in this spell might decide his Arsenal future.
