UNTOLD ARSENAL » 2009 » February » 15

With the chart that is now showing a little way down on the right side of the UNTOLD ARSENAL home page  revealing that Theo will be back in one week, and with Arshavin certain to be playing against Sunderland next weekend, it looks at last as if we’ll have a creative midfield again.

And with Cesc and Rosicky maybe back in a month or two everything suddenly looks good – and tends to make me forget Amaury Bischoff.   He is described as “a ball-playing central midfielder who can operate in the centre or on the right,” and came from Werder Bremen after making just one senior appearance for them.

As such he is one of the Lord Wenger’s odd investments – not least because he was injured when we got him.  But since then he has played in the reserves, been in the squad for the Diddly Cup and has now made the bench for a couple of league games.

He’s also scored some goals – I saw a stunner he got for the reserves and apparently he also scored for the Portuguese under 21s.

All of which would suggest that at some time in the very near future he will get off the bench and play for us.   Given that description from the Arsenal web site about him playing in the centre or on the right, he ought to get a few chances.

The new temporary format could be Nasri, Arshavin, Denilson and Theo, although with Nasri able to play in the middle, it is hard to know who is going to be where – although I am hoping Denilson continues in the centre.   Then we add Bischoff, and ultimately Cesc and Rosicky, and before you can blink we have a problem because not everyone is getting a game and we’ve got far too many creative midfielders.

(Diaby is also due back, and although his star rating has slipped a little of late, if he could return to the quality that he showed away to the Turks, it would be hard to leave him out).

Meanwhile it is also amusing that despite all the stats proving what can be seen with the eyes – that Denilson is a most extraordinary defensive midfielder – many people are still writing about the fact that we lost Flamini and what a disaster that is.   But I’ll leave that for the moment.  More in the next Highbury High to which the editor has most kindly invited me to contribute.)

(c) Tony Attwood 2009