Wenger’s injury-ravaged squad face Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night, acutely aware that a victory is paramount as they battle to avoid the humiliation of being knocked out at the group stage.
Francis Coquelin is injured in a tackle with West Brom's Claudio Yacob
Coquelin left the Hawthorns on crutches, after he was substituted following a 50-50 challenge with West Bromwich Albion’s Claudio Yacob, and the early prognosis is ligament damage which would be a blow to Arsenal’s season.
Mikel Arteta is also out of the game tomorrow with a calf problem while Wenger has ruled out Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for a return, joining a lengthy injury list that includes Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck and Tomas Rosicky.
Arsenal's Mikel Arteta scores an own-goal before he left injured
With only one win from the past five matches, Arsenal’s season is threatening to unravel quickly and Wenger’s mood was as dark as the Black Country night sky on Saturday evening after another chastening experience against Tony Pulis.
After a game that finished with a comical penalty miss from Santi Cazorla, Wenger sorely needs a rapid response as he bids to reach the Champions League knockout stages for the 16th successive season.
Santi Cazorla's missed penalty summed up Arsenal's day against West Brom
“It is a difficult moment for us, yes. We have to come back quickly and focus. It is severe disappointment, we want to bounce back,” he said. “In the last two games we took one point out of six and that is very difficult and very disappointing when you are on such a great run.
“Now we cannot change it and the only thing we can do is bounce back on Tuesday night. It looks difficult, I believe, to have players come back for that game. I can rotate a bit within the squad but Ramsey will be short and [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain will be short and they are the two closest.”
Arsenal appeared poised for a comfortable afternoon when Olivier Giroud headed them in front but the momentum swung dramatically in Albion’s favour after James Morrison’s equaliser and an Arteta own goal. Cazorla’s miss from the spot six minutes from time, with the midfielder slipping over and then slicing the ball over the crossbar, was a fitting footnote to an uncomfortable afternoon.
Tony Pulis and West Brom are building some momentum
This was West Brom’s second home win this season and was timely for Pulis, who has been the focus of much scrutiny from supporters in recent weeks. Pulis finds himself in familiar territory at the Hawthorns, the centre of a debate scarily similar to his final season at Stoke. Fans are split between having a manager who virtually guarantees Premier League survival by employing pragmatism, at the expense of entertainment.
Jonas Olsson, recalled to the team, admitted he cannot understand the negativity. He said: “I never understand that as a player. Someone says there needs to be a balance between results and entertainment but for the players it’s 100 per cent about the results.
“He is a good manager, he came in last year and is still building a squad. To take over you have to adapt to the players you’ve got and the way we play now suits us. It’s as simple as that.”
About Quang
0 nhận xét:
Đăng nhận xét