Szczesny to Start As Fans Turn Against Almunia

Arsenal's very promising goalkeeper Wojciech Sczcesny will start against Liverpool for the first time since he dislocated his finger in the Champions League loss at the hands of Barcelona. The 20 year-old has made a swift recovery since his injury in early March, and has returned quicker than expected, as he was initially thought to be out until the end of April.

The Polish 'keeper will celebrate his 21st birthday on the 18th of this month, which he will hope to celebrate in good spirits after a win at the Emirates to a Liverpool side who travel on the back of thrashing a poor Manchester City by three goals to nothing.

Jens Lehmann had to step in for the Blackpool game last week, due to a knee injury to Almunia in the warm up. Almunia's injury came to the apparent relief of the majority of Arsenal fans who voted on my poll issued just after the Blackpool game on who they would rather in the Arsenal goal for the remainder of the season:

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said:

"Szczesny will play. It's a big surprise for us because we thought his season was over. But he was given the green light four weeks after the Barcelona game and he has had a full week of training.

"Jens wants to help out when needed and he knows the rule. I want to congratulate him on the game he played."

Johan Djourou Back in Under Two weeks

The initial diagnosis to Johan Djourou's unfortunate shoulder injury suffered against Manchester United in the FA Cup was that he would be out for the rest of the season. Groans echoed around the Emirates stadium, coming from frustrated Arsenal fans who had already had to suffer without Thomas Vermaelen for the majority of the season. The news about his injury however, began to get better and better, and today it has been reported that the Swiss defender may be back for April 17th - in time for Arsenal's Premier League clash with Liverpool.

The 24 year old injured his shoulder in a collision with Bacary Sagna, his Arsenal team mate during the United clash on 12th March. The news emerged that reconstructive surgery n the players shoulder was not needed and only a period of rehabilitation was required to see his shoulder recover. It was predicted on the 22nd March that Djourou would be back in training inaround a month, so the news that he could be back in just under two weeks is quite surprising - but encouraging for Arsenal.

He had to be  stretchered off and was in a considrable amount of pain, but he is sid the be "eyeing" the Liverpool fixture with anicipation for his return.

Meanwhile, Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas was involved in a car accident on his way to training on Monday morning. It was a minor accident, and no-one was hurt, with neither part requiring hospital treatment.
An Arsenal club spokesman confirmed:

"Cesc was involved in a minor car accident on his way to training this morning.

"After the incident, Cesc made his way to our training ground in London Colney and took part in a training session as normal.

"The Police are fully aware of the incident."

So after a disappointng, unpenetrative performance against Blackburn which saw Wenger's side draw a blank and walk away with a solitary point, and fall further behind United in the title race, thee is some good news on the injury front for once.

Hargreaves Injury Update - Not Good

I am still awaiting the day when an injury update on Owen Hargreaves can be classified as 'good news'. As it is, the Canadian born midfielder is once again on the all to familiar treatment table at United. This time it is his shoulder.

Apparently, he damaged his shoulder in training with United and will now be out for another month. He felt his shoulder pop out of its socket as he challenged for a header. The initial fears are that he has damaged ligaments and could be out for at least four weeks.

He has already missed the majority of the season with his persistent knee injuries and hamstring injury and received several operations to cure  the continuous trouble but now more misery is heaped onto the poor guy. I suppose the good news from this is that it isn't a recurrence of the knee injury or the hamstring injury he picked up earlier this season.

Hargreaves started against Wolves to the surprise of many back in November. It was all looking great until the sixth minute when he pulled up with a hamstring injury and was once again forced down the tunnel to receive treatment and the inevitable bad news.

At 30 years of age and with his contract expiring at the end of the season, it would be a leap of faith for Sir Alex to keep him at United for another year considering his injuries. He would certainly be worth the risk if he were to overcome his injuries, but much like Michael Owen, whose contract also expires come the end of the season, it would be a big risk.

Season Over for Vermaelen But Djourou Has a Chance

Arsenal's increasingly disheartened manager Arsene Wenger confirmed some more bad news today in relation to  Thomas Vermaelen. Wenger said at his pre match press conference:

“For Thomas Vermaelen the season is over."

“In fairness he has not played since September, I never expected him to be fit before the end of the season. He is not out on the field yet and it is impossible [for him to play] after six months without competition. I am confident he will have a full recovery but for this season we cannot rely on him.”

Considering how long Arsenal have had to cope without the Belgian centre back this season after he suffered an Achilles injury on international duty, the news won't be as big a blow.

Wenger also set the record straight about Johan Djourou's injury. The Swiss defender dislocated his shoulder in Arsenals FA Cup loss to Manchester United and was immediately ruled out for the rest of the season. However, under closer inspection by he Swiss FA, it has emerged that Djourou has a chance of playing his part in the final run of games but will be out for six weeks. Wenger said:

“Johan Djourou is out for at least six weeks. There’s a little chance [he will play again this season], he has an arthroscopy on Monday and we will know more about the damage in his shoulder. We hope we will have good news but no matter what happens he will be out for six weeks.”

The International break next week will be a good time for players to recover from injuries they have picked up during the recent tough run of closely arranged fixtures, with Cesc Fabregas hoping to benefit. The Spaniard will be missing for the week end game, but Wenger hopes he will have recovered by the time the International games are over. Walcott holds little chance of recovery any time soon and will certainly miss England's games in the week:

“Cesc Fabregas is out for the game on Saturday. He should be back after the international break, maybe, he has a chance, but he is not available for the weekend. Walcott is not available for the weekend and he has no chance [for the international break]. He is not available for England.”

Valencia Back for Arsenal Game - Nani Out

It will come as no surprise that Nani will miss the Arsenal game on the weekend after the horrible tackle that he was the victim of which left him with a gaping wound on his shin. Apparently, the injury was worse than originally expected, and the Portuguese's injury swelled up so much, that they couldn't stitch it up to close the wound. This means that the influential creative spark in United's average midfield may be out for up to a month rather than a few games.

That bad news is countered with the report from the Daily Mail which claim that Antonio Valencia, who, as I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing, broke his leg against Rangers (terrible game) over half a year ago, "is likely to be in Manchester United’s squad to face Arsenal".

This is of course fantastic news, and the strikers will be delighted that Valencia could be back to deliver some sumptuous balls into the box for their predatorial instincts to strike home. He was left out of Wednesday's reserve game against Blackpool in which he was expected to play, as apparently, United didn't want to risk him on such a bad quality pitch.
On Monday Valencia played a 30 minute a half game for the youth team.

I'm quite worried however about United's midfield to play against Arsenal. It doesn't sound like Valencia will start, and Nani and Park are out, laving only Giggs as the natural winger. He wouldn't threaten the opposition with his speed, while Fletcher who could play on the right isn't the most adventurous of attackers anyway. Rooney may play on the wing, and Hernandez and/or Berbatov starting up top.

Surely United can't lose three in a row? Arsenal's Jack Wilshere hopes so - even off the back of the beating they got from Barcelona:

"We know Manchester United are a great team, but they have a European game next week, so they might play a weakened side, then we can go there and take advantage of that."

Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson broke his media silence with this:

"Last season they (Arsenal) faded around the February to March period to leave Chelsea and ourselves in a two-horse race that saw us pipped at the post by a point.

"I think most pundits expected to see something similar this season, plus a challenge from Spurs and Manchester City to make it even more difficult for Arsenal to get back up to the top.

"But Arsene Wenger and his players have rearranged the pecking order somewhat to come storming through to lie in second place.

"Clearly they represent the main danger to us achieving our ambitions in a revival of the rivalry of a few years ago, and I am sure they regard us as the major threat to their hopes."

He had no excuses for the abysmal display at Liverpool in which United lost 3 - 1. Manchester United will be hoping for the good of their season and their teams morale, that the depressingly bad performance at Liverpool is not repeated against Arsenal this weekend.

"Massive boost" For Arsenal in Build up to Barca

For every strength someone has, there is always a fault - a weakness. In football, there are many faults in players, and putting aside those misplaced passes, wild, ambitious shots, dangerous, lunging tackles, off the field troubles and terrible temperament that some have, a shared feature for any sportsman is the injury.

Robin van Persie is no stranger to the irritating pests that are injuries. The 27 year-old has only played 15 Premier League games this season because of them, and although not allowing them to destroy his contribution to the team (10 goals, 5 assists), injuries are still an ever present feature to his game.

In the process of scoring another wonderful goal against Birmingham in the Carling Cup final which, as you all know Arsenal were unsuccessful in winning, the Dutch striker injured himself whilst adjusting his knee to bend around the defender to make contact with the ball. There were major doubts as to whether he will be fit for the scond leg of Arsenal's Champions League tie against Barcelona. Wenger said:

"Fabregas will have a final test (on Monday). It is 90% he will travel and be fit. It is vital for us because he is important in the transition between attacking and defending. He is also the leader of the team so we want him there."

Arsenal's former left back Nigel Winterburn summed the situation up nicely:

“A van Persie playing at the Camp Nou is going to be massive for Arsenal and it will give the other players a massive lift as well,”

“It’s a massive boost because it was looking like Robin van Persie was completely out for three or four weeks, so not only for the Champions League but for the Premier League as well.

“If he is fit and can play then, with the goalscoring form that he’s been in, it just gives Arsenal another added dimension that they lack a little bit when he doesn’t play.”

Of course, the situation must be considered as to what would happen if Wenger were to start van Persie only for him to suffer another injury - which seems unfortunately likely. Winterburn added:

"If he’s not 100 per cent fit I don’t see how they can risk him because they’ve also got the FA Cup and a fantastic chance now in the Premier League as well,”

“I’ve got to think that maybe the injury is not as serious as first thought and he’s healed a lot quicker. I just don’t see how they can take that chance.


"I possibly could see him being on the bench if he was sort of 75 per cent fit but not starting because there are two other big prizes to go for if they come up short in the Champions League."

Van Persie's fantastic ability to achieve the improbable was layed on a plae for all to see at the Emirates a cuple of weeks ago when he smashed the ball past a helpless Victor Valdes in the Barcelona oal from the tightest of angles. If Arsenal are to succeed at the Nou Camp, they are going to ned all te improbabiliy and skill they can get. Van Persie therefore, is vital.

Arsenal Injury Update: Djourou, Vermaelen, Nasri & Song

There is yet more woe for Arsenal on the injury front. The Barcelona game in the Champions League is fast approaching, and Arsenal are facing an uphill battle to field a strong enough team who could challenge the goal hungry Catalans.

Facing Barcelona is a match that can border on impossible to win at the best of times. With a front line that strikes fear into even the strongest defence in the land, and a defence that can drive out some of the most potent attackers around, when you play Barcelona with the objective of winning, you need a strong team.

Losing a four goal lead away to Newcastle on Saturday isn't going to inspire confidence into the Arsenal side, and at the same time, the poor result certainly won't see the Barcelona team quaking in their boots. It is made worse then, that some of Arsenal's brightest players this season look likely to miss the first leg on the 16th February.

The injury list is as follows: Samir Nasri, Lukasz Fabianski, Alex Song, Thomas Vermaelen and now Johan Djourou.

Johan Djourou was taken off in the eight goal thriller at Newcastle on the week end, and was feared may be out for the rest of the season with damage to his knee ligaments. However, it has since been confirmed that he has not suffered a serious injury, but bruising to the knee. The Swiss national doctor confirmed that Djourou could be back in training very soon: "Djourou is probably less than one week away of beginning training" - very good news for Arsenal fans.

Samir Nasri will return in around three weeks after suffering a hamstring strain last week which certainly rules him out of the Barca game.

Thomas Vermaelen has been out since early September but Arsene Wenger can now see the finishing line for his Belgian centre back. "Thomas Vermaelen is making very good progress so he should be [back in] three to four more weeks,” said the manager on February 3rd, which again, rules him out of the Barca game.

Lukasz Fabianski, the Polish goalkeeper has been ruled out for the rest of the season. The Polish goalkeeper has been sidelined since early January with a shoulder injury and he is about to undergo surgery to cure the problem.

Alex Song's injury isn't as serious as the above, and will most probably be back for the 16th, as he only suffered a kick, but the injuries above still highlight the problem that will face Wenger when the time comes for him to pick the defence against Barcelona.

In the immediate future however, Arsenal will be hosting Wolves at the Emirates, and it is Wolves who have all of the momentum. After ending Manchester United's 29 game Premier League unbeaten run, the players in orange will be on an almighty high as they continue in the fierce relegation scrap. Arsenal meanwhile will be deflated after their astonishing  breakdown at St James Park. They will be without Abou Diaby due to his sending off in that game, and, of course, the casualties will be missing.

Will Hargreaves Follow Neville & van der sar Into Retirement?

Poor Owen Hargreaves. The Manchester United midfielder has constantly been plagued with terrible injuries to his knees, suffering from an extremely serious case of patellar tendinitis which was described by his surgeon, who has 35 years experience in his field as the worst case he had ever seen.

It takes an incredibly strong minded individual to keep going despite being bombarded with injuries which must frustrate the undoubtedly talented individual beyond belief. It would be fair to call the Canadian born England midfielder "injury prone", or perhaps just "unbelievably unlucky". The question is, how can he continue at the top level with all of these injuries - the latest one a torn hamstring, of which I gather, he is slowly recovering from.

Manchester United have already seen Gary Neville walk out of Old Trafford after an outstandingly successful long career wearing red, while Edwin van der sar has announced his retirement at the grand age of 40. Nobody likes to see a professional have to step down, whether it be because of their advancing age, or incessant injuries. But sometimes it is necessary.

Hargreaves joined United in 2007, hoping to help the Red Devils to unrivalled success with him playing a big part. The former became true, as it has consistently done over the years, and the latter was true for the first year. In United's 2007/08 season, Hargreaves clocked up a good 34 appearances in all competitions, playing his part in United's Premier League and Champions League success that year. However, a couple of seasons down the line, and the players' tally of appearances has only increased by 5 - and not many of them were where he played the full 90 minutes.

Hargreaves is now 30 years old, and the Manchester United team is starting to bring in younger players into the setup. His contract expires in the summer, so Hargreaves is currently in a race against time to prove to his manager that he deserves a contract renewal. But if there is one thing that Hargreaves knows from experience which shouldn't be rushed, it is injuries. It is sad to say, but it looks as if he is fighting a losing battle. When will we see him back for United at 100% fitness and battling away like the engine he is at the heart of the United midfield? I'm not so sure we will.

On Monday, Hargreaves was included in the club's 25-man Premier League squad, but he has not made the cut for the Champions League. It would be great to see him return, but whenever I see him on the pitch, I am constantly weary of his fragility, and frightened that in a flicker, he could be hobbling off of the pitch, down the tunnel and into that all too familiar treatment room. Despite his inclusion in the Premier League squad for the second half of the season, it seems unlikely that he will play a big part.

Hargreaves has had a successful career as a footballer. Seven years at Bayern Munich saw him win four German Bundesliga titles and the 2000/01 Champions League. His short happy period at United also saw him win a Premier League and yet another European trophy, but age and injury have taken its toll on poor Hargreaves, and he may be only one more injury away from hanging up his boots and giving up football for the sake of his body.

Wenger: Nasri Will Miss Barcelona Game

Arsenal's fears were confirmed yesterday, as Arsene Wenger revealed that their talismanic midfielder this season, Samir Nasri will miss the all important fixture against Barcelona in the Champions League - a match that can border on impossible to win at the best of times. With a front line that strikes fear into even the strongest defence in the land, and a defence that can drive out some of the most potent attackers around, when you play Barcelona with the objective of winning, you need a strong team.

Arsenal's game against Barcelona is on the 16th of February, and with that date only being just under two weeks away, the hamstring injury that the Frenchman has suffered will most certainly keep him out of it - barring a miraculous recovery. Wenger said:

"For Nasri, the scan shows a hamstring strain. [He will be out for] 21 days."

Wenger's plan to play Nasri in the F.A Cup clash with Huddersfield has backfired - something which he admits, but it is now not the only injury problem that Wenger must solve. There are also concerns over the fitness of another midfielder, Alex Song. The Arsenal manager said:

"Song cannot walk. I don't know what he has got. He was kicked, I think it was by [Laurent] Koscielny; he knocks out everybody in our team. So we have to see how he responds to that in the next days, but he cannot walk at the moment."

Apart from knocking "out everybody in the team", Koscielny has been talking about winning the title, and has pointed out, probably quite rightly, that Arsenal are the only challengers with Manchester United for the Premier League title. Continuing to comment on the blatantly obvious, Koscielny said:

"We have got more points than Manchester City, Chelsea and the others"

He continued:

"Anything can happen in this league. That's why we must keep working hard together. We will keep fighting. It's important we keep our defence strong.

"If we don't concede, we will always make chances to score ourselves. It's going to be a big battle between us and Manchester United and hopefully they will drop points, not us.

"It's not going to be easy. But we have faith in ourselves and in the squad. We do believe we can do it so bring it on."

Arsenal's next game is against a side only recently freed of their talisman, Andy Carroll. Newcastle have £35 million in the bank, but can do nothing with it at the present time, and last night saw yet another striker leave their team. Shola Ameobi walked off in agony with an apparent broke cheekbone, or something painful, and he will either miss the game, or wear a protective mask. Arsenal are not the only team with problems it seems.

Vermaelen Back for Arsenal in "four to six weeks"

After an injury suffered on international duty, Thomas Vermaelen was expected to return within just a week. That was however, an optimistic expectation. Over four months later, and the latest prediction on when he will be fit to play once again is, according to his manager Arsene Wenger, "four to six weeks".

Wenger said that the new course of action in Arsenal's fight for Vermaelens fitness will see him return very soon,

"It’s not a real surgery. It is to take out a little ligament next to his tendon. It is to open it a little bit and cut out the ligament that has been causing the friction. It is a procedure, that is the right medical term.

“We are very optimistic that [this will cure the problem]. But of course it is now what you call in football a little bit longer delay of four to six weeks.”

The Arsenal manager said that the Belgian may even be able to play in Arsenal's first leg Champions League tie against Barcelona on February 16th:

“Let’s count the weeks to Barcelona and you will know. I count a minimum of four weeks, maximum six, so it is not an unrealistic target.

He does however acknowledge that the 25 year-old cannot be put straight into first team action - especially against a team like Barcelona with players who have enough attacking capabilities to frighten any top class defence. Vermaelen will realistically need some less competitive playing time for Arsenal before he can consider taking on the likes of Lonel Messi:

"But don’t forget as well he is a little bit in the situation of Aaron Ramsey, he has not played since the beginning of September, that means he will need some games to be completely fit.”

Wenger has said that if Vermaelen wasn't back for Arsenal by the end of January, then he will be looking at possible signings to fill in for him. The Gunners have been linked to Chris Samba of Blackburn, who says he wants to leave his club, and Gary Cahill, who would cost £20 million - but with that price tag gone is any possibility of Wenger signing him. Samba would be the most likely choice at around £8 million, but with no value in the market today as Wenger and Ferguson always say, perhaps the Frenchman will just stick with what he has?