Daily Bits and Bobs

Missing Danny Welbeck & Theo Walcott Setback….

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

Alan ‘Smudger’ Smith is 52 today, Happy Birthday to the big man…..

Paul Scholes has been talking to the Evening Standard. He fears for his old club as they head to The Emirates:

In terms of United, they miss the energy that Danny once gave them in attack.

My view has not changed: he should not have been sold and recently I have felt that United have looked a bit pedestrian going forward. As a United fan I am a little concerned for them going into Saturday’s game.

Aside from Michael Carrick at his very best, United lack a central midfielder capable of linking play and getting the best out of their forwards. 

They need that individual who can pass the ball forward, play one-twos and bring the strikers into the game. That kind of playmaker – a Cesc Fabregas, Luka Modric or Toni Kroos – is vital to any side. They are the brains of the team and without them the forwards can struggle.

Much will be made of Danny Welbeck’s first game against the club at which he grew up. The immediate assumption will be that Danny is nurturing some grievance against United at being sold and will want to prove a point. 

I don’t see it that way. Danny will want to play well because he would want to anyway, regardless of the opposition, and from what I see and hear he is very happy at Arsenal and with his move to London.

I don’t think Welbeck will be out to prove a point either, he’ll just want to play well and score/create goals for his new club. The club which took him from his boyhood club and now play him where he feels he’s best. How long that will last though I don’t know as Olivier Giroud is back fit and ready to play.

Will the two play alongside each other? Can’t see that happening personally as Arsene Wenger doesn’t tend to play with two out and out strikers, well not unless we are in desperate need of a goal, which of course might be the case tomorrow but I doubt we’ll see both Giroud and Welbeck start.

Danny Welbeck is one of a few players who need a break, Alexis Sanchez is another but again, I can’t see that rest day arriving tomorrow, not against Manchester United, a side we haven’t beaten in years, so much so it’s like the team and Arsene Wenger have forgotten how to beat them.

Then of course we play Dortmund on Wednesday night, needing one point from the last two games. Players rested/rotated that night? No, I don’t think so either but as Wath said yesterday, fringe players need to be played and soon, otherwise injuries will start to hit us again.

Not only is Olivier Giroud available tomorrow, Mikel Arteta is back too but there’s rumours doing the rounds that Theo Walcott has suffered a groin injury and will miss out. Not sure if that’s true or not though.

I hope the manager will do something about our right-hand side tomorrow. Calum Chambers was roasted over and over against Swansea and Di Maria and Shaw if fit, will cause him even bigger problems. I’d rather see Chambers played alongside Mertesacker with Bellerin at right back as at least then we’d have players playing in their ‘proper’ position, but either way, our right-hand side needs protecting. Mind you, so does our left and our centre. Hopefully Mikel Arteta will help with the latter…

Calum Chambers on Luke Shaw:

I’ve just got to work out what his weaknesses are, so I’ll be analysing him. You’ve just got to play your best against him, concentrate on your game and work on his weaknesses.

I hope he means weaknesses when Shaw is on the attack because being a defender, would it not be better for him to be looking at Shaw’s strengths and working out how to stop him when he bombs up the wing?

Our defenders, especially the fullbacks need to start defending first and foremost, after all, that’s their prime role.

That’s it for another day, fingers crossed Theo is fit….

Have a great Friday all….

rico

86 thoughts on “Missing Danny Welbeck & Theo Walcott Setback….”

  5. Joe says:

    Bit of misinformation on the earlier post it’s not one FA cup in ten years it’s two. How about two FA cups, one PL, final of the CL, two league titles lost due to injuries and two or three league cup finals in a 11 years.
    I suppose it’s down to whether you see the class half full or half empty or your feelings on Wenger.

  14. Wath says:

    I wish someone would tell wenger to shut up regarding who he nearly signed and could of signed and almost signed… You didn’t did you…! So all it means is you cocked it up for one reason or another…! More and more he spouts this crap is like he living in the past of “what if’s”

  23. rico says:

    Wenger says he has no doubt the sides will overcome their frustrating starts and take up their familiar positions in the top four.

    “It’s unusual but I’m sure that won’t last,” the manager said. “You have to look further than the table and look at the quality of the players. I think it’s a very exciting game to watch.

    “Of course [this game still means a lot]. I would say even more so because the two teams are chasing a good record to try to climb up the table in the Premier League, which makes it a very important game.

    “We have drawn a lot against Manchester United and we’ve lost a lot recently at Old Trafford, but I don’t think we’ve lost a lot at home.

    “They have always been chasing recently for the championship, we went through a period where we did not. But there is no block there. We feel strong at home at the Emirates and we have a good record in the last 25 games.”

  24. Wavy says:

    42? If I remember correctly, 42 was the the answer to “the meaning of life, the universe and everything”. Co-incidentally it was also the price of a pint in my local, circa 1978.42pence per pint, what a bargain! I frequently experienced the ‘meaning of life’ especially on a Friday night and sometimes on a Saturday too, if the result was positive!

    Tomorrow? We have better players and fitter ones than manure, however we don’t have a better tactician on the side lines. We have home advantage, whilst manures away history this season is less than average. For all these advantages we should win, but we won’t because the wise one will send out his team underprepared and disorganised. Finally, our defence has more holes in than a second hand dart board, goals against us are really easy to score and manure will fil their boots
    We will do well to achieve a winning draw! Furthermore it is still November and we never get decent results in november.
    My glass is half full and I only paid 42 p for it…..IN MY DREAMS!

  33. potter says:

    5 foot 11 according to Wiki , Is either very defensive or can’t shoot as his record for Hamburg is 62 appearances with 2 goals. He is German of Turkish descent with low wage expectations , sounds a perfect fit. Not exactly Khedira but there you go.

  34. tsgh says:

    😀 Rico.

    Lol Daily Fail have done it again… Hamburg SV had one of the worst defensive records last season and barely avoided relegation from the Bundesliga in May 2014 by defeating SpVgg Greuther futh (spelling) in a play-off. he was ok in an average team but nothing spectacular. Kramer and our old boy Noidvert were far better last season…

    Holtby, Van der (F)art and our Djourou play for HSV…

  35. Joe says:

    Media makes up a story about a player signing for Arsenal if it’s somebody we haven’t heard of it’s Wenger trying to do things on cheap.
    If it’s a super star it’s Arsenal wouldn’t go the extra mile to sign the player or pay the extra cash.
    Now we all know that 99.95% of these stories are made up but it still starts the Wenger bad mouthing and attacking the club.
    Just got my Christmas drinks in and with all these stories of shortages of drink on HH I’d better beat the rush cause there are going to be shortages. 🙂

  38. Adam says:

    None of these stories have any truth in them at the moment. With a pick up in form which is not remotely assured, I think that Wenger ‘may’ buy a central defender. It’s all about post Wenger now.

  39. goonster says:

    Moaning all…have we beaten manure yet?? Gosh I used to look forward to this fixture year after year back then. Titi’s lob over barthez at highbury is the peak of the bunch….now am filled with foreboding. We ll get smashed guys. 3.1 to manure. You heard it here first.

  46. goonster says:

    Bummer. .I gotta be back at work first week of January adam. Would have loved to show you some fun Arnhem style.

  53. potter says:

    Joe your 3.21 if you were replying to my comment I have to say that my tongue was firmly in my cheek. I dont think that there is a shred in it.

  58. allezkev says:

    Sadly I didn’t make the Ark yesterday Adam…
    Finished up in a bar in Findbury Square, called Finch’s…
    The Estrella was very mor’ish…

    I think that Finch’s used to be called the Master Gunner…

  59. Joe says:

    No Potter it was just a generalization it was just a go at people who are having a go at Wenger on validity of stories that that are untrue.
    It’s not as if there are not enough real reasons to have a go at Wenger.
    Or are you taking offense at my accusation that the will be shortage of drink when people on HH start buying their Christmas drinks.

  60. scottfromoz says:

    Morning all.
    Okay should cool…..30-32 degrees.
    Don’t think Im boasting as I detest this heat.
    Somebody said it earlier…..Wenger should shut up.
    You’d think he’d know when the media are playing him, and he needs to simply stop indulging them.
    He ought to know better.

  62. rico says:

    Good evening fine folk…

    Scott, you are more than welcome to some of our dark days and horrid drizzle. Drizzle which turned into heavy rain right at the time I walked Fido! After a short while she pulled me back home at rapid speed…. 😉

    Not that I complained…..

  76. Adam says:

    Morning Rico and Kev. Mourinho is good but diminutive. Dull and damp here but I shall surf the web for a new pair of winter boots I think. Agag would approve I think. 🙂

  85. Adam says:

    Well Rico. He has a big week coming up. If he can forget who he could have signed and send the team he did sign out to win, then who knows what might happen.

Leave your comment.

Discover more from Highbury House

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading