Dagens Arsenal 12 december
Wenger, mer Wenger och lite välgörenhet. Kan det bli bättre?
Eftersom undertecknad även ska plita ihop matchrapporten senare ikväll, kommer Dagens Arsenal i en ganska nedbantat version – med nästan bara vår manager Arsène Wenger.
Wenger
Wenger blev som bekant uppskickad på läktaren mot Sevilla senast, men han menar att det inte är något stort handikapp för laget att han kommer saknas ikväll.
"I will make my normal preparations with the team as always in our hotel.
I will, of course, be separated [from the players] during the game - but I believe it is not a big handicap."
Men vi kommer ju att sakna dig, Arsène…
På sin presskonferens hann han också med att prata lite om Fabregas, som ska vara väldigt frustrerad över att inte kunna spela.
“We haven't set any date for his return yet. He is not with the group at all; he is with the medical people being treated.
He is working very hard. He is very impatient but he is not back yet.”
Jag tolkar det som att Cesc garanterat inte kommer att kunna finnas med mot Chelsea. Vi får sätta vårt hopp till att Hleb och Flamini kommer tillbaka.
Jens Lehmann är som sagt tillbaka i mål ikväll. Wenger kommenterar valet:
"It is not a present. It was decided three weeks ago. It is to keep him fit and competitive because Almunia will play in the Carling Cup and we need the three 'keepers to be competitive. If Almunia gets injured tomorrow then you need Lehmann to have played.”
Jag tycker det är helt rätt att spela Lehmann, inte för att Almunia varit direkt dålig, utan för att han behöver vila – och Lehmann behöver speltid.
Journalisterna försökte sedan få det till något dumt ifall Lehmann skulle spela bra, för att Wenger då tvingades välja mellan de båda – men Wenger svarade sin vana trogen klokare än en uggla.
"Why should it be a problem if a player plays well? It is a problem if he doesn't play well. In football you have one problem after another one. It is good to anticipate but you do not need to solve a problem you don't have. For all of us the only target is to do well for the Club - and we can only do that if we perform well.”
Spot-on!
Wenger menar att Capello vore ett bra alternativ till posten som Englands manager.
"The quality of the candidate is outstanding. I have known Fabio for a long time. I feel he is a strong man and a strong character. He has a clear idea of what he wants and when he is convinced of something he goes to the end of it.
I believe he is a strong winner and is a guy who is convinced of the methods that he uses. I believe a manager is strong when he swims against the stream. I feel he can do that and that is quite a needed quality in this country.”
Fransmannens enda oro är ifall Capellos engelska är tillräckligt bra.
"I don't know how good his English is because I don't speak in English with him. I know it is not his best and his second-best language is Spanish. He speaks quite good French and I will test him when he comes over in English!"
Spelare
Bendtner hoppas på att få starta ikväll.
“I certainly hope I will start. Every time I get a chance, I want to show people what I can do.
It's not easy because we have such a great strike force at Arsenal, and we've been playing really good football so the team has been settled.
But when a chance comes along, it's important for me to take it.”
Och Gallas hyllar vår välgörenhetskampanj. Ni vet den som bland annat pågår på arsenal.com. Kolla in där för att veta mer annars.
"I'm the captain of Arsenal, we are a team on and off the pitch. We are getting involved with 'Be A Gooner. Be A Giver.' for the important reasons. I would like all of the fans of Arsenal to give if they can."
Det finns faktiskt viktigare saker i världen än Arsenal, att kämpa för att autistiska barn får bättre levnadsförhållanden är en av de sakerna, så om du kan ge – gör det.
Tack för idag.
