Gooner Talk

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger told reporters after the 3-1 win over Partizan Belgrade that Thomas Vermaelen will not be fit for Sunday’s trip to Chelsea, while captain Cesc Fabregas has a “little chance.”

The Gunners duo weren’t expected to be involved in Sunday’s game, although Fabregas will have a late fitness test on his injured hamstring before the clash at Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal’s current injury list:

Manuel Almunia, Thomas Vermaelen, Cesc Fabregas, Nicklas Bendtner, Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott, Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Frimpong, Abou Diaby (slight doubt for Sunday.)

Arsenal and Mexico striker Carlos Vela has been suspended from playing for his national side for 6 months, after having an after-match party following their 1-0 friendly win over Colombia last week.

Vela’s team-mate Efrain Juarez also received the lengthy ban, while a handful of other Mexican players were slapped on the wrists with fines.

The news comes at a good time for Arsenal, who are currently missing several strikers in Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner.

21-year-old Vela completed 71 minutes against Spurs this evening during the 4-1 rout.

Via @JoelRichards

Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri scored two penalties in extra-time to help Arsenal to a 4-1 victory over north London rivals Tottenham in the third round of the Carling Cup.

Reserves star Henri Lansbury had given the Gunners the lead in the first half at White Hart Lane, but Robbie Keane equalised just after the interval despite being in a clearly offside position.

However, Nasri succeeded where Tomas Rosicky had failed at Sunderland on Saturday, firing home two convincing spot-kicks after he had been brought down by Sebastian Bassong and Marouane Chamakh pulled back by Steven Caulker.

Andrey Arshavin completed the scoring with a delightful strike.

Arsene Wenger’s thoughts on the game:

“The game was enjoyable. We played well in the first half but we were only one goal in front and after that Tottenham came back. We were for a few minutes a little bit in danger but slowly we took over again and in the final 20 minutes it looked that would could score, but we didn’t. Then we got these two penalties which in my opinion were penalties and that was the turning point of the game. But overall we played very well.”

Leave your views on the superb thrashing of Tottenham in the comments section below.

Fabianski
Eboue – Djourou – Koscielny – Gibbs
Wilshere – Denilson – Rosicky
Lansbury – Vela – Nasri

Subs: Almunia, Sagna, Clichy, Eastmond, Arshavin, Emmanuel-Thomas, Chamakh.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will again use the Carling Cup to give the world a glimpse of the club’s future by blooding his youngsters. The competition has been used by the Frenchman in the past to educate the likes of Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere on the demands of first-team football.

The Gunners’ youngsters have certainly excelled in the past but face stiff competition in the third round in the form of arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Jay-Emmanuel Thomas, Henri Lansbury, Craig Eastmond and Kieran Gibbs are just a select few who are expected to be involved in Tuesday’s tie, although Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh has revealed that he could be in for a surprise start.

“With the ­injuries we have, it might be I’ll play. If the coach wants me to, I’ll do so willingly,” Chamakh told Mirror Football.

“I know what the match with Tottenham means to the players and to the fans.

“It is very important to win. I am happy to play and ready to play if I am selected. And I know it will be a tough game. Tottenham have some very good players like ­William ­Gallas, Sebastien Bassong and Benoit Assou-Ekotto.”

However, many Gooners have suggested that fielding a weakened side at White Hart Lane will play into the hands of Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, who is expected to start with a mix of fringe players and senior stars.

What kind of team do you want to see Arsenal start with on Tuesday? Should Wenger rest the first teamers and blood the new breed of young talent? Or should he field a full strength side due to the nature of the game?

Leave your views by voting in the poll and commenting in the discussion section below.

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Last night’s 6-0 drubbing of Portuguese side Braga was Arsene’s proteges at their very best. Of course, many pundits have been quick to nullify Arsenal’s performance and classify it as a case of weak opposition, but the adage that there are no weak teams in this stage of the Champions League nevertheless rings true. It would be hard to pick out a single player who had an off-game, and the team as a whole showed great connection and off-the-ball movement. The seasoned approach would be to sound the alarm that we’ve been here before and done that, meaning thrashed a team in the early stages of the competition, but the same seasoned Gooners will know how quickly our luck can change, and that one should enjoy the positive results while they last.

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This past Saturday’s 4-1 drubbing of Bolton Wanderers was a good test for the squad in this new campaign. No one needs to be lectured about the boorish tactics which a majority of boss Owen Coyle’s side employ. I suppose the x-rated challenges by Cahill, Davies, and Robinson could be discussed, but that dead horse has already been well and truly beaten.

The most promising feature of the new season so far would be the contributions by players from whom little was certain in the beginning of this campaign. Of course, we are only a handful of games in, but already there are some players who are promising very much, first of whom is Tomas Rosicky. A player whose career has been severely blighted by injury, it appears he has now regained his top form and is ready to push on this season. Some of the passes he made, the outside-of-the-boot through ball to Arshavin in particular, were absolutely top-class. He seems to have regained his rat-like pace which, combined with his incredible technique, makes it very difficult for defenders to match. He has been very positive, forward, and most importantly he releases the ball very quickly. Our overall play seems to have a bit more pace to it than last year, and surely some of that credit must go to the little Mozart.

Second up is a man who has already received quite a bit of praise from the media: Marouane Chamakh. Although he’s nowhere near the silky artist of van Persie, he nevertheless has a great effect in our attack through his hard work and physical style. He’s a no-nonsense battler who seems content to be out of the limelight and to just get on with his job. His addition is a huge difference compared to playing Arshavin as the lone striker. And with two goals to his name, it looks as if he’ll add scoring to his off-the-ball work as well.

Last up are the two new French-speaking defenders, Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci. Partnered together, they handled the sink, tub, and everything else that Bolton attempted to throw at them. Koscielny had a bit of a mix-up for the goal, but it happens to the best of defenders. After that incident, he got his head down and continued to battle. Squillaci, meanwhile, is an experienced and determined defender who will hopefully bring much to the dressing room as well. Wenger now has an interesting three-way selection problem in the center of the defense.

As seasoned Gooners know, it would be foolish to expect much at the beginning of the season. However, our squad could definitely have done worse in being 2nd place, largely without the contributions of van Persie, and until Saturday, Fabregas as well. If the annual injury curse can be nicer to us this year, perhaps we will have more to smile about come May time.