By Tony Attwood
Theo is injured, Gervinho is injured, Koscielny is injured, plus all the others you know about, like Sébastien Squillaci, Jack Wilshere, Abou Diaby, Yossi Benayoun, Thomas Vermaelen, and Johan Djourou.
So who have we got left?
Goal – no problems
Central defence: Alex Song plus Per Mertesacker with Ignasi Miquel in reserve.
Wide Defence – Sagna, Gibbs, Coquelin, Jenkinson, Santos
Midfield: Fripong, Ramsey, Arteta, Rosicky
Attack: Arshavin, Van Persie, AOL, Ryo, Chamakh, Park
Personally I don’t think that’s too bad a show. The fact that Song can drop back and play central defence because Frimpong can play in his normal position is a real bonus.
In fact I am rather looking forward to this.
Olympiacos F.C. are properly known as ΠΑΕ Ολυμπιακός but that is all Greek to me, and anyway they are all on strike. But if they were not they would be called Olympiacos Piraeus or Oλυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, which is auto-re-transliterated as “Olympiacos Syndesmos Filathlon Piraios” which of course makes it much clearer.
Unfortunately the translators are on strike, but I think that means Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus.
It is said that when not on strike Olympiacos is the most successful club in Greek football history, winning 38 League titles, 24 Greek Cups and 4 Greek Super Cups, sixteen bowls, three teapots, and one of those little things that comes with the tea set but which no one can remember what it is for.
Like Arsenal they have never been relegated from the first division, except that we were relegated in 1913, so that doesn’t count.
They play at the Karaiskakis Stadium but you can’t get there because the bus drivers are on strike. Wiki says that they have 2.5 million fans in Greece all of whom are on strike, and 83,000 registered members in April 2006. We don’t know how many they have now because the people who count them are on strike.
Panathinaikos, who are also on strike, are their eternal enemies.
The fact that my plane from Cyprus to Birmingham on Sunday night was 2 hours late, allowing me to get home at 5.30am, due to strike action in Greece, has nothing to do with the unbiased and honest way in which this preview is written.
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I think Miquel may be out also, Tony — Young Guns says he was set to turn out for the reserves earlier in the week but was injured during warm-ups.
id go with this line up, i suspect wenger will pick the same
Keeper:Szczesny
Defence: Sagna – Song – Mertesacker – Gibbs
Midfield: Fripong – Arteta – Ramsey
Attack: AOL – Van Persie – Arshavin
what has the Greek strikes got anything to do with a plane from Cyprus?? (two different countries)
szczesny
sagna, mertesacker, miquel, gibbs
arteta, song
chamberlain, ramsey, arshavin
van persie
In your annals of unbiased opinion, Tony, I have rarely read anything better.
Of course, if you WILL holiday in Cyprus instead of (say) Guernsey in the Channel Islands, what can you expect!
We have to do something about the ghosts in the EMIRATES STADIUM,it seems they are not pleased and they need to be pleased.So something have to be done/ask the Manures. The earlier the better.
Song in Defence is a real worry…i rather hope Miquel is fit…
But anyways, even a 1-0 win for Arsenal is good enough…all we should be doing now is win, regardless of how it is…
Another balanced and impartial readi………. sod it, i am on strike too!
What do we want? better fans!! when do we want th…. this seems like work too. I am on strike! so there!
Pssst…. keep up the good work.
@Dark prince who wants to go back in the whorelists Den!Its hell any win can do.
Miquel is also injured it seems…
According to Young Guns young Swiss defender Angha has been training with the first team this week
@Walter
Both Martin Angha and Daniel Boateng (I think) can be seen training with the first team squad in the free video up on the official site
ManU Collapse at Basel.. 2-0 up at half time at Old Trafford.. they go behind 3-2, before scoring a goal to make it 3-3.. I figure the media won’t be using the word collapse though.. The fightback will be the focus.
Shard
‘I figure the media won’t be using the word ‘collapse’ though’
From the Mirror (as one of many examples available already):
‘It amounted to an extraordinary collapse by United, who went from bad to worse…’
Not sure of the relevance to an Arsenal preview though…
Looking forward to seeing Chamberlain play, Joe mac’s team looks about right to me
Bobby P
Is that the headline? Will that be talked about all week? Well..now anyway Tevez has ensured that it won’t be the case regardless.
Nice article Tony. I think it’s good to laugh in morning before going to work… I wonder what would happe if the Greek players went really on strike and would not play? Would we get the 3 points as other team refuse to play?
Well, Greece is the current front line against the tenets of a feral neoliberalism that has already wrecked the world economy (see BANK BAILOUTS, the; and CAVEAT LENDER), a failed economic ideology that, when fully extended to us, will see the asset-stripping of every public good we have ever worked for – including the NHS, and our school system.
So if the Greeks are on strike in protest – good! They really are the front line right now.
(That said, I doubt Olympiakos will refuse to line up against us tonight – although given that La Liga was on strike at the start of the season over unpaid wages at some clubs, with the mighty Casillas declaring the stoppage would be “to the death”, it wouldn’t be unprecedented in modern football.)
Meanwhile, what about that Tevez, eh? Mancini has certainly thrown down the gauntlet – effectively telling his Abu Dhabi handlers, it’s either him or me now.
I hope we finish above them in the Premier League, and go further than them in the CL. Just, you know, to see the look on $amir’$ face.
So apart from Mertesacker all our normal and backup central defenders are injured= Vermaelen, Djourou, Koscielny, Squilacci, Miquel. That is 5 players out.
I was wondering if Wenger would put Sagna in central defense tonight and put Jenkinson at right back for this game? So he can leave Song in midfield. Just something that entered my mind.
Because in midfield we are also a bit short because no Wilshere, Diaby and Benayoun that is another 3 players missing.
And no Theo and Gervinho in attack is another 2 players missing. That is 10 players out because of injury?
Lucky nobody is banned for this game….
@Walter
I guess Mr. Wenger is still banned!
I suggest we encourage the Gunners and the match officials to go on strike as well, then the fans could go on strike BUT here’s the rub…we’re not in France nor are we overly French so unfortunately everyone will show up to work and do their bit rather than sit in le bistro sipping l’expresso! I forgot that Wenger is French and apparently he won’t show up as he’ll be eating prawn sandwiches and sipping le champagne in le Box.