Laurent Koscielny Joins List Of Injured Arsenal Stars
It is certainly not the best of times for Arsenal and Wenger is really not an envied man. Arsenal’s injury list instead of abating, is increasing by the day. It seemsĀ the Gunners cannot play any decent team without having wounds to lick at the end of the game. Against Everton, Giroud was lost, against City, it was first choice right back Mathieu Debuchy who was stretchered off. The injury situation fared even worse in the North London derby as the Gunners lost three midfielders, the defensive minded ones at that; Arteta, Ramsey and Wilshere. While the latter stands a slim chance of featuring against Galatasaray, the same cannot be said of the former duo.
As Wenger was still coming to terms with the huge blow, he was hit with the news that another key defender Laurent Koscielny could be out injured. According toĀ reports garnered, the French centre back has an achilles discomfort and is a major doubt for the Champions League clash against Galatasaray. This situation would putĀ Wenger in a very difficult position, between the devil and the deep blue sea. The Champions League match against the Turkish giants is an all important oneĀ considering the fact that Arsenal lost on day 1 against Dortmund in Germany. This situation is not helped with the fact that the Gunners would be taking a trip toĀ high flying Chelsea at the weekend. What then should Wenger do? Can he afford to play Koscielny against Galatasaray and risk loosing him for a longer spell or keepĀ faith with some youngsters (Chambers and Hayden) while he rests Koscielny?
The sudden injury crisis at Arsenal is making a mess and mockery of Wenger’s decision not to buy a defensive midfielder and centre-back in the summer. The addition of a defensive midfielder and centre back could have prevented this sudden crisis. Arsenal had both Manolas and Cavarlho in their sights but indecision, dithering and unnecessary rigidity saw them miss out on both. Now, they must hope for luck to shine on them again, keep them in the contest at least till January when they can have another shot at the transfer market.
It might be a tough decision to take but it is one that must be taken. If I were Wenger, I would rest Koscielny for the Champions’ League game, play Chambers in hisĀ place while Ballerin or Coquelin fill in at right back and Hayden on the bench. Juggling the defence might be a risk but doing so against Galatasaray is a bitĀ calculated. The makeshift team should still be good enough to scrape a win against the Turkish giants. It is better to do that against them than against Chelsea, a
decision that could fetch us another humiliation. Wenger cannot afford that.