Brief Injury Update and CAN Latest.

News coming out of Arsenal is that it's two in, one out for the game on Wednesday.

Both Denilson and Walcott will be back for the game after missing the last few games through injury. The big bonus out of those two is Denilson. He was the man chosen to replace Song so it's good to have him back. Walcott is nice to have back, but in the game's he's played he's hardly been excellent.

The bad news is that goal scorer from the weekend Mérida will miss the 'second leg' against Bolton with an injury he picked up shortly after coming on. I suppose it's not a major blow as both Denilson and Theo are back, but to see any player out is disappointing.

The only other bit of news is that big Nic Bendtner should be back within 10 days, and that the game at Villa has been ear marked as his comeback.

Onto international watch now, and to the two Gooners playing out in Angola in the African Cup of Nations, or CAN.

Alex Song's Cameroon side came from behind last night to win 3-2 against Zambia. This means that a point against Tunisia will be enough to see them through to the next round of the competition after they lost their opening game.

There was mixed fortunes for Eboue, as the Ivory Coast qualified with a 3-1 over Ghana. Eboue was sent off after 56 minutes and now won't play again unless the Elephant's reach the semi-finals.

Back soon with a preview to the upcoming Bolton game, unless anything major happens between now and then!

Bolton v Arsenal, Part 1 Review.

After results yesterday (Chelsea winning 7-2, and United 3-0), the first game of our Bolton double was even more important then first thought.

Before the games yesterday we were 3 points off Chelsea, and to be honest, I did think they might struggle against Sunderland. Oh how wrong I was.

Looking at the table before today's game saw us 6 points off top, with for the first time in a long while, a worse goal difference than anyone else.

The line up today was much as expected, although an injury to Nasri before the game (hamstring) meant that Craig Eastmond was handed a first Premier League start.

Almunia

Sagna - Gallas - Vermaelen - Traore

Eastmond (65)

Diaby - Cesc

Rosicky (75) - Eduardo (85) - Arshavin

Subs: Fabianski, Clichy (75), Silvestre, Vela (85), Mérida (65), Emmanuel-Thomas, Coquelin

The game was between the leagues worst home defence, and the leagues top goal scorers. A goal-less draw was never going to happen.

True to form, Arsenal didn't disappoint, winning by two goals to nil.

Bolton had the ball in the net first but Klasnic's strike was ruled out for offside.

Half way into the first half, Arsenal should've had a penalty. Eduardo's cross found Fabregas, who dinked it past the Bolton keeper and was brought down in the box. Not given.

With 28 minutes on the clock, Arsenal's persistance finally paid off. Bolton couldn't clear and Captain Cesctastic found drove beautifully across goal into the bottom left hand corner.

A few minutes later Craig Eastmond almost marked his full debut with a goal. A corner drifted in found Eastmond who volleyed straight at the keeper.

Arsenal had another call for a penalty when Cesc was again brought down in the box an was then 'kicked' in the head by Robinson, the Bolton defender. Again, nothing given by the referee but there was a little bit of handbags after the incident!

Bolton had their fair share of chances at the end of the first half and just after the restart. Cohen twice running at Traore, who quite frankly had an awful game, putting decent balls into the box, only for Almunia and Vermaelen to stifle their attacks.

The best chance for Bolton fell to Matthew Taylor who blasted over from 8 yards when one on one with Almunia.

Wenger rang the changes after the hour mark, Mérida coming on for Eastmond who had a solid game, and Clichy coming on for Rosicky.

This saw Arsenal almost change to a 4-5-1, with Eduardo up front alone.

Arsenal's second came through young substitute Mérida. Fabregas springing a great counter attack, feeding Eduardo who crossed well for Mérida. He took it brilliantly and found the space to drive past Jaaskelainen in the Bolton goal.

Vela came on for Eduardo with 5 minutes to go, but had little time to make an impact.

2-0 to the Arsenal at full time. With the penalty decisions and a few missed chances, it could have been a different result on another day.

We now face the strange prospect of playing them again on Wednesday. I can see Bolton being well up for that again, like they were today, and again we will have to be at our best to beat them. I'd like to see Clichy coming in for Traore in that game, other than that I'd stick with the same XI.

Wenger has said that there is a 'little chance' Denilson and Walcott could be back for that game, however Nasri's injury will keep him out for between 21 days to a month. Ramsey also looks to be out for a similar amount of time.

A win then would see us go top of the league, all be it with Chelsea and United having a game in hand. But the psychological  advantage would be huge, particularly with the games against them both coming up at the end of the month.

Here is what Wenger's had to say on the matter:

"We know that there is a long way to go. We are a big club and when you are a big club the most difficult thing is like what happened last year, when in October you know you will not fight for the title. Now we have a chance to fight for it so lets have a go."

All in all, a good win today for the Gooners, hopefully we will continue this onto Wednesday's game and we'll be back to where we should be.

Back soon.

Bolton v Arsenal, Match Preview

Well it's been a week with no football for us Gooners, unless of course you count the Reserves featuring Sol Campbell appearance and the very enjoyable game between Liverpool and Reading!

Football's back for us tomorrow though, in the shape of Bolton, who have been a bit of a bogey team for us in recent years. Not this year though, this year we need to make the next two games really count.

It's very unusual to be playing the same team twice in 4 days, but I guess that's what finishing fourth the previous season and having unforecasted snow does for you.

News is that Cesc is back, and so is Clichy. On the downside however, both Denilson and Ramsey are likely to be out. This leaves us with a bit of a problem in the midfield area, with Cesc and Diaby the only two naturally central players.

I'd personally, like to see Samir Nasri play in the 'Alex Song' role. I remember towards the end of last season he had a run in there, with Cesc playing slightly further forward and he had a great couple of games, particularly against 'Boro at home where Cesc got forward and scored twice.

Who knows what Wenger will do though! We could see Craig Eastmond fill the gap, with Cesc and Diaby infront, he may even go and put Silvestre in there!

Team Prediction:

Almunia

Sagna - Gallas - Vermaelen - Traore

Nasri

Diaby - Cesc

Rosicky - Eduardo - Arshavin

Subs: Fabianski, Clichy, Vela, Eastmond, Silvestre, Merida, Emmanuel-Thomas

Emmanuel-Thomas is a player I'd love to see on the bench today. He was outstanding in the reserves the other night bagging a hat-trick, and can play almost anywhere. He's a big, strong lad and I'd actually be quite comfortable seeing him given the holding role.

I don't see Clichy starting, however much I'd like him to, and if Cesc doesn't start, I'd expect to see either Eastmond come in and Nasri take Cesc's role, or Rosicky drop back and Vela starting out wide.

Other news now....
Campbell is officially now a Gooner once again, and we've also signed a 17 year old from Real America, called Galindo. He's described as being 6ft 2in, left footed, with good stamina, who can play out on the left of midfield or in the middle. He'll be loaned out to a Spanish side as soon as he arrives, a la Carlos Vela style, most probably to obtain a work permit and get some game time under his belt.

Anyway, let's hope Sunerland can do us a favour by getting a point at the Bridge, and maybe Burnley can repeat the impossible by beating United again!

'Til tomorrow.

Campbell plays 45 mins for Reserves - what's next?

So, Arsenal Reserve's game last night at Upton park was rather overshadowed by the inclusion of Sol Campbell at Centre Back. The imposing defender played the first 45 minutes of the second string fixture, which Arsenal won 4-2.

This has sparked further rumours that he has signed a 6 Month deal, however this has yet to be announced on Arsenal.com.

All eye's were on Sol last night so you could be forgiven for not paying much attention to any of the other Gooners out there. Some promising young players played, such as Coquelin, Eastmond, Bartley and JET, with Emmanuel-Thomas having a particularly outstanding game by bagging a hat-trick.

The game started with West Ham applying a bit of pressure, trying to run in behind the Arsenal defence, but Campbell proved to strong for the Hammers forward line. Pumping balls into the box didn't seem to work either, with both Sol and Kyle Bartley winning some good headers.

Arsenal took the lead through an Emmanuel-Thomas header from a good cross by Merida. It wasn't long before JET would double both his and Arsenal's tally for the night, cutting inside from the right to place a left footed shot into the corner of the net. 2-0 to the Gunners.

Not much else really happened in the first half, Arsenal were cruising, Sol was solid at the back and West Ham couldn't find a way through.

As the players came out for the second half, Ignasi Miquel came out to replace Sol Campbell. There was no report of an injury, he said after the game that they had agreed to give him 45 minutes as he's not played any competitive football for nearly 5 months now.

We often say that Arsenal's young players are brought up to play the Arsenal way, and this was so very true in the second half. They became a little over confident and gave away a penalty 10 minutes after the restart. young striker Freddy Sears stepped up and put it just past the out reached hand of Mannone. 2-1.

West Ham were then given another penalty when Bartley was adjudged to have fouled Sears in the box, although replays show it was a good challenge. Sears stepped up and bagged the equaliser from the spot. Feeling of deja-vu? 2-0 up at Upton Park, then 2-2?!

It wasn't over yet though as substitute Frimpong placed a low shot into the corner of the net with just under 10 minutes to go. Man of the Match, Emmanuel-Thomas then completed the scoring with a driven shot across goal, this time from the left of the goal to wrap the 3 points up and to complete a memorable night for both him and Arsenal by completing his hat-trick. Final score WH Reserves 2-4 Arsenal Reserves.

What next then for Campbell? Well he performed well last night and it was evident that the younger players were very motivated playing with him. He's a great asset and inspiration for the youngsters, so I can see him doing a good job there. He can also do a job in the first team, as back up to Gallas and Vermaelen. I doubt he'll play many games if he signs, but he'll be a great player to have around.

Hopefully we'll hear something over the next 24 hours, and who know's, maybe he'll be in the squad for Bolton or Stoke!

Is Campbell about to become a Gooner again?

News everywhere is that Sol Campbell, either has, or is on the verge of becoming a Gooner once again.

Arsenal.com has stated that Campbell will be in the reserve squad for tonights game against West Ham reserves. Reports earlier elsewhere suggest that Campbell had actually signed for us and that the news was up on Arsenal.com

I myself didn't see the announcement but if it was up there, it was taken down very quickly.

We will probably hear something from the official Arsenal website later in the week post tonight's game. I doubt Wenger would sign the centre back without seeing him play in any sort of competitive fixture first.

Here is the squad for the reserves match tonight:

Mannone

Gilbert - Bartley - Campbell - Cruise

Eastmond - Coquelin - Randall

Sunu - JET - Merida

Subs: Shea, Freeman, Hajrovic, Frimpong, Evina

I'm very interested to see Campbell play alongside Bartley, as I see Bartley as possibly the "next Sol Campbell". He has the same kind of stature and given a few years and some good guidance could be a fantastic centre back.

Back later with a short review of the game!

Half-time update: Solid game from Campbell at the back, substituted at half time for Ignasi Miquel. 

Wenger, Merida & Campbell

Well, since the weekend, there has been very little going on Arsenal related.

Very few transfer rumours, no idea of when the Bolton game will be played and really nothing much else.

I think the main thing that has grabbed my attention has actually been to do with the Arsenal boss. Monsieur Wenger. As I'm sure most Gooners know, he has only got 18 months left on his contract. Now in footballing terms, that is not a long time. I for one would not be happy with a manager in charge who's contract was running down under the year mark. In the same way as I would not be happy with a player running his contract down and saying whether they are going to sign on or move elsewhere.

Wenger has said that he has not yet decided on his future, and I can have no complaints at this. He has to decide first what is best for him, his family and his career. Then what is best for the club.

In his 13 years in charge, Wenger has become, (in my opinion), the greatest ever Arsenal manager, and the second best manager to grace the Premier League. Only behind Sir Alex Ferguson. He has brought some fantastic players to the club, Vieira, Bergkamp and Henry to name a few. He has developed players from an incredibly young age and turned them into superstars, for example, Ashley Cole, Anelka and a certain Cesc Fabregas.

He has changed the way the club think, both on and off the field. He is not afraid to spend money where needed - just look at Arshavin and Vermaelen, however he won't piss it away on players who won't do the job. An example - van Persie cost us £3.2 million, and has a goal ratio of 0.36 goals per game. Berbatov cost Man United £31.8 million, and has a ratio or 0.29 goals per game. Take into account the amount of time RvP has spent on the treatment table and the maths do themselves.

Wenger has also changed the way we play. We no longer settle for the old "1 - 0 to the Arsenal" scoreline, and the only fans who will now sing "Boring Boring Arsenal", are Gooners, and that is in irony, when we are 3 or 4 goals up, and playing the opposition of the pitch. Wenger has imposed a flair to the side. A beautiful, flowing, passing, one-touch, attacking football, which, when played well, can beat any team in the world. This is the Arsenal way, or the Gooner way. In fact, I'd like to call it the Wenger way. He has brought, and excuse the pun, a certain 'Je ne sais quoi' to the Premier League, and the way we think about football.

This is why, I want, and I truly believe, our beloved boss will sign a contract extension, and contrary to the belief of some people out there, will lead Arsenal to glory in both domestic and European competitions.

Finally today, two pieces of transfer gossip, if you can call it that.

Firstly, Fran Merida, the will he, won't he story. The story is, that Arsenal have offered him a contract which was 'verbally agreed' before Christmas. He has since put of signing the contract and reports have suggested he is on the cusp of signing a contract with Spanish side Athletico Madrid.

Do I want him to stay? Yes and no.
Yes, he looks like another good prospect, but can he cut it at the highest level for Arsenal. Will he stay for another few years and then get shipped out having underachieved? Note I said good prospect, not great.
No, he didn't sign the contract when offered to him, that to me shows a lack of commitment. He also hasn't developed at the rate I think many of us would.

The second piece of transfer news regards Sol Campbell, who has been training with us since leaving Notts County.

I am most in favour of him rejoining, particularly if on a 6 Month contract until June, with a coaching option. I would feel much more comfortable having him as back up to Big Willy and the Verminator, than either one of Silvestre or Senderos. He won't play every game but I believe his presence is the squad would be a great moral booster. Sol would also be one of the few players to have been there and won it. He's won both the league and FA Cup with us, as well as scoring our only goal in the Champions League final defeat to Barcelona in 2006.

So Wenger, if you're reading, I have 3 requests.

1. Sign a new contract with us, take us to glory on all fronts and prove to all the doubters that you are one of the greatest managers the world has and will ever see.
2. Tell Merida to make his mind up as to what he wants to do. There's an offer there but if he want's to play in La Liga, so be it.
3. Finally, you know Sol is a quality player, you know he can be relied on. So if you think it's right, offer him a 6 month deal and then let's get him on the coaching staff at the Arsenal.

And remember, if you're going to play the beautiful game, try and play the Gooner way.

One Point Gained, or Two Points Lost?

So the game at home to Everton has ended 2 - 2.

A game that on paper, we should have won, but on the day, we're very lucky to get a point from.

We've now played the same amount of games as the leaders Chelsea and are 3 points behind. If I'd have been given this option after the home defeat to Chelsea back in November, I'd have taken it in an instance, so we can't be too disappointed.

I think the result was a fair reflection on the game, we bossed possession at times but couldn't find a way through a stubborn Everton defence. They scored two poor goals from an Arsenal point of view. The first one saw Osman unmarked on the edge of the D left to make a run into the box and connect to a Donovan corner. Poor defending from our point of view as someone should've been picking him up or at least keeping an eye on him. Their second was equally as poor. We had pushed too many players forward and they just caught us on the break, with Pienaar finishing well.

Arsenal had their chances, but the Everton defence held strong and both of our goals came from deflections. I don't think we really deserved any more than what we got. Both Eduardo and Arshavin were very quiet, and Ramsey didn't show the spark he has in the last few games. I think Everton may have learned a thing or two from the way West Ham closed us down, because they ensured we didn't have an extra second on the ball.

He's what Wenger had to say on the game:

"It was close at times to being 3-1but we managed to bring it back to 2-2 and I think that was down to our tremendous spirit that we were able to claim a point"

I think Denilson did an okay job today in Song's role, with the amount of the ball we had, he didn't have too much to do. He was also one of the few players to have the balls to shoot from outside the box! Very disappointing to see him being carried off injured at the end, let's hope it's not too serious.

One thing that did stand out from the game today was the performance of Almunia. He was very erratic at times and did a great job in trying to injure Traore towards the end of the game! His performances recently haven't been great, and I personally think it's time Wenger gave Fabianski his opportunity. He did very well against West Ham and it wouldn't do him any harm to give him the number one spot. It may actually force Almunia to have to prove his worth.

The game next weekend against Bolton is now even more crucial than ever, drop points there and we'll be relying on others to drop points again which isn't the way to play. I thoroughly expect us to beat them at home whenever we get to play, so winning away is a must.

We should have Cesc back for that game, but we'll have to wait for news on Denilson's injury. Maybe it'll force Wenger to dip into the transfer market?

'Til tomorrow.