http://www.skysports.com/football/n...as-chance-to-face-man-city-says-arsene-wenger "There may be a very slight chance for Sanchez to be in the squad again, but it's too early to be sure about it," Wenger said. "He's running but not participating in full training." Asked if he trusted his players to tell him if they are not fit, Wenger joked "not all of them" before moving back to the subject of Sanchez's possible return. Wenger added: "I believe that's normal for a player that he wants to play, and you want him to be keen to play, but he respects all the decisions I make and that's what you want from him. "It's not trust in a negative way when I say not all of them but some of them are so keen to forget they have pain somewhere that they say 'I am alright' when they are not. "First of all, you know the players and their psychological profile, and you take that into account. Then you get your scientific advice and then you trust your gut, and the whole of it together makes the decision." Wenger knows his side will have to be at their best on Monday in a game that will most likely be pivotal in the race for the Premier League title. He added: "It (a win) will boost our chances to be at the top. City are a threat. "You look at their individual quality and they are in it (the title race). We will need a top, top performance against them on Monday."
Pretty obvious he's talking about Sanchez. I think the guy would still want to play even if he was on crutches !
I don't think it's only Sanhcez, Wilshere comes across as a gutsy player, who is desperate to play. But I think we're being careful with him now.
I don't think it's only Sanhcez, Wilshere comes across as a gutsy player, who is desperate to play. But I think we're being careful with him now.
Yep maybe Wilshere too. I would imagine Walcott is another player who is eager to get back to playing as soon as he can. It's not easy for Wenger, he can take the advice from the medical tea, but ultimately he has to speak to the player about whether he thinks he is ready and clearly, some haven't been when they have been saying that they are.
I would imagine most of them are similar. It's so competitive that they must be desperate to seize the chance to play when it crops up. Think how the regulars must feel seeing the likes of Campbell, Flamini and Theo stepping up. It's exactly what's needed to keep everyone on their toes. Apparently Özil was sick (both literally and how the kids use the word) last night but still played and it's not the first time he pushed to start. Dedication but can't be easy to moderate.
This is what you want from a squad. Everyone vying for a first team place and keeping it competitive. That is the only way we will grow and compete at the highest level. It is heartening to see players like Coqs, Campbell, Walcott and Flamini show their worth. This is exactly what you want to see.
For a long while, we've always said that whilst we have a good first team, our back-up players aren't good enough to fill in, particularly when we have injuries to key players. And although I still have my reservations about some of the players we have that have in our squad (because they have to do the job over more than just a few games), we have fared much better than I anticipated and I'm very proud of everyone in the squad who has fought tooth and nail for the cause, especially Flamini who I originally thought would cost us the match yesterday, but surprisingly ended up being one of our best performers. Does this mean that I am happy with the all-round quality of our squad and the depth in each position? Not at all. But I am happy that we have players who are putting in a shift and trying to prove why they still have a place in the team. And that's all I could ask for.
Absolutely. Think we've all thought certain players are very far from up to it but it goes to show what a good run can do for some. Campbell for example has really surprised me. I don't think he's quite good enough to be a regular starter but he's showed that certain "starting" players can't rest on their laurels due to his work ethic. A comment I'd have found laughable based on some of his first performances for us!
I think there are many squad players who only perform when they can prove a point. Most squad players havr little motivation to prove a point when just playing 10 minutes here, 20 minutes there. If they can look ahead and know they're first choice for a month or two then they have motivation to show what they can do and stake a claim. If they know they don't have a run to show what they can do then you rarely see quality squad player performances. If Monreal got a 3 month injury I would foresee Gibbs having a storming few months. Similarly Gabriel when he had a run of over a month of playing week in week out. Of course, there is a quite a bit of s4ite in our squad who will never perform, whether temporarily first choice or bit part. Debuchy is shot. Arteta is shot. Those two need replacing asap. Debuchy with Jenkinson (easy). Flamini with a quality DM (Carvalho please).
You could argue though that the players who only get 10 or 20 minutes here and there, never really get a chance to prove themselves in that time, rather than not being motivated. Also most players tend to need a run in the team to get anywhere near their best, even our first XI players need that if they've been out for any length of time.
Debuchy and Arteta have been gash even with extended runs in the team. To an extent Oxlade has too. Which squad players have not yet had extended runs in the team?
Debuchy was okay when he was in the team initially, but he's been overtaken by Bellerin now, the times he's played since, he hasn't had an extended run in the team. Arteta has been a great servant, but I think he's too slow for us now. Which players were you referring to, who have 'little motivation' ?
A 30 year old guy who can't peform isn't worth the wages. Get Jenkinson in. Meh. A (should have been) stop-gap budget signing who was never great, merely quite good. Now not even close to that, I wasn't specifically talking just about our squad players, but all squad players in general. But some of ours fit the bill. Flamini - doesn't always try or perform when doing stop-gap duties. Half of the City squad who aren't first choice rarely give a toss (indeed, most of their first choice don't seem to at the moment either).
Agree about Jenkinson Disagree about Arteta, he's made a good contribution to Arsenal, but he is past it now. Accusing Flamini of not trying is probably the worst example you could have used
There's no way Flamini has tried 100% everything I've watched him. He puts his best in when he knows he's got a run in the team or playing spurs.
It's not myopic to say that flamini gives his all in every game. He's probably one player you could pick out as being 100% committed, whatever the competition, whether he's a starter or a sub.
